What If
by YarningChick
Summary: What if a young man decided to save a cat's life? What if said cat happened to be a princess? What if said young man recieved a marriage offer for the princess that he couldn't refuse, even though he wanted to?
1. A Fateful Decision

Extra

Chapter One: A Fateful Decision

Within the walls of a college campus, a young man was looking out the window. He rubbed the sword between his hands; completely hypnotized by a passing cloud, although he had no clue why.

"And next up is Baron! Baron? Are you with us?"

Without warning, a hand shoved the tawny man and almost sent his body to the floor. The young man snapped to attention, standing up as straight as a soldier.

"Begging your pardon, Sir!"

The coach shook his head at the blonde youth and laughed as his teammates did the same.

"Get your head into the sport, Baron! You're our best chance to take home the trophy this year, and we need you down here, not up in the clouds."

"Many apologies, Sir. Who is my opponent?"

The graying coach grinned and gestured at a larger man, who was struggling not to laugh.

"Have fun with Muta."

Baron nodded, and slipped the head mask over his face as his friend did the same.

"What were you dreaming about this time?" the larger one asked as he and his opponent bowed politely, and then assumed their stances.

"I have no idea," Baron sighed, avoiding his friend's lunge with ease, and making a cross on Muta's back. The slightly pudgy man wheeled around, and raised his sword to meet Baron's.

"Come on; you've been in space for almost a week! There must be something bugging you."

"Yeah, and it's you!" a dark-haired man called from the sidelines, one hand cupped to his mouth, to make sure that Muta would hear it. The larger man growled, and turned to attack the darker brunette.

"I'll get you for that, Toto!"

Baron calmly came between the two and twiddled his wrist just right to knock the sword from Muta's grasp. The blonde man smoothly caught the falling sword and swung one leg underneath the running opponent, sending him to the ground.

As Muta struggled to regain his breath, Baron gently placed the sword's tip to his friend's heart. His voice was a bit calmer than one would have expected from the victor of a duel.

"When I am your opponent, I am your _only _opponent. Save the fights with Toto for later."

The slightly pudgy man pouted angrily.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"But Fatso _does _have a point," Toto said pointedly, as the trio walked down the street from the college. Baron gave him a slightly annoyed look, but kept silently walking.

"You've been really distracted ever since Louise-"

"Please don't say her name," Baron all but begged, silencing the memories that were threatening to resurface. His heart throbbed painfully, but the tawny man had always prided himself on his poker face. He kept his attention forward as he walked even more stiffly. Muta reached over and slapped the slimmer brunette upside the head.

"Idiot! Don't talk about that witch! But… is this about her?" the fatter brunette asked carefully. Baron sighed again, his yellow-green eyes starting to fade away with unfamiliar thoughts again.

"No. I don't know what it is, but it started long before… I found out about _her_ little secret. Something's off, but I can't quite-"

"Toto, my love!" A random sandy blonde girl jumped the black-haired youth from behind, and wrapped her arms around his neck happily; almost hitting Muta upside the head with her lacrosse stick. The captive immediately lost his serious look, to be replaced by one of foolishness.

"Hiromi, _my _love!" He reached behind and managed to draw her into a deep dip in front of him, and kissed her soundly. The lacrosse stick had been swung around by the action, almost hitting Baron with it. The golden youth grimaced and snatched the lacrosse stick away from the girl, but she was too distracted to notice or care.

"Unless you learn how to control yourself, you're going to end up killing someone, Hiromi."

She giggled as Toto brought the kiss to a close.

"Not a chance. I keep missing, don't I?"

Muta growled at her.

"Statistics, Chicky. You're bound to hit someone sooner or later."

"Aim for the fatso," the boyfriend half-whispered to the girl, making her start laughing helplessly as the larger man raised his fist.

"If you call me that one more time…" Suddenly, his voice trailed off; dark eyes now cast to the ground. The other three also looked down.

A lovely brown cat, a single smooth chocolate shade from head to tail, was walking through the forest of their legs with a frantic air. This in itself wouldn't have been surprising, except for the little box that was hanging from the cat's mouth by the ribbon. But what Baron couldn't help but notice was the thick golden collar around the brown feline's neck, which was without a license. The cat nearly scrambled to the side of the road, and frantically looked both ways like a well-taught child.

"Wonder who the gift's for," Toto said softly, making Muta snicker.

"Maybe he's late for a date or something."

The two brunettes and single redhead laughed it off and kept walking down the sidewalk, but for some reason, Baron couldn't take his eyes off of the strange brown cat, which had determined that it was now safe to cross the road. He, or she, made a run for it, but about two-thirds across the road, the ribbon on the box slipped from the cat's mouth, making the sweet feline turn in its tracks and try to pick up the trifle.

This wouldn't have been a big deal, if it weren't for the changing light, and the oncoming truck, which was now heading straight for the cat.

Without thinking, Baron dropped his bag, and held the lacrosse stick with both hands as he ran into the street; a distant part of his mind hearing the protests from his friends. But his attention was completely focused on the brown cat, which had just gotten back its hold on the little box.

With singleness of purpose, Baron swept the cat safely into the net of the stick, and kept running as the truck tried to squeal to a halt, coming dangerously close to hitting the college boy as a few screams pierced the air.

With a practiced flair, the tawny youth released the stick with one hand in order to reach toward the bush he was about to run into, and gracefully flipped over onto the other side; his feet making a firm landing.

The cat fell out of the net with a yelp, and landed solidly on the dirt ground. Baron dropped the lacrosse stick to his side, and kneeled down to examine the feline. It was panting heavily; the tiny box fallen from its mouth. On closer inspection, the blonde determined that the cat had fainted from fright, and was actually perfectly fine. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as his friends ran up to him; out of breath

"What… were… you thinking?!" Muta tried to yell, but was already too winded. Baron smiled softly at his friends, and wrapped up the comatose cat in his arms, returning the lacrosse stick to Hiromi with one hand, since it was miraculously still in one piece.

"My apologies for the scare, but it looks like this cat could use a few hours of peaceful rest."

Just before running the rest of the way home, Baron remembered the little box, and slipped it into his pocket after accepting his bag from a breathless Toto.

'_With that collar, he or she probably already has a home. But it couldn't hurt to let the cat rest at my place for a while.'_


	2. The Unusual Feline

Extra

Chapter Two: The Unusual Feline

A few hours later, the brown cat _did _awake. Mismatched caramel and periwinkle eyes slowly opened as a pitiful meow escaped a tiny throat. Baron looked over at the cat, which he had carefully placed on the couch and wrapped in a soft blanket. The tawny man grinned warmly, and poured the milk he had been warming in a pan into a saucer.

"I'm glad to see you moving again. I was starting to get worried."

The cat looked up at him; eyes wide with shock. Carefully, so he wouldn't spill a drop, the young man carried the saucer to the little table right next to the couch that the cat was resting on. Slowly, the cat wiggled out of the blanket, and put its delicate paws on the arm of the sofa to sniff at the offering. Baron chuckled a little.

"There's a little sugar and nutmeg in there, but nothing else, I promise."

Showing him an extraordinary amount of trust, the neat feline lowered its head to the bowl, and began lapping politely, then enthusiastically. Baron crossed his arms and rested them on the couch, his head cradled between them. For some reason, watching the cat perform such an ordinary action made him feel… content. At peace.

With one hand, he reached up and started gently stroking the soft brown fur. The cat stiffened almost like wood, and stopped lapping the milk in order to stare at him; mismatched eyes wide with shock. Baron blinked, and withdrew his hand.

"I'm sorry. I guess you don't like to be touched, do you?" He sighed. "I was never allowed to keep a cat growing up, thanks to my father's allergies, so I'm not exactly aware of cat protocol."

The cat seemed to relax at his words, and left the milk to brush against his face softly; silently giving him permission to pet the soft fur. He smiled and wrapped up the cat in his arms, enjoying the experience.

"I didn't check, but from your actions, I'm guessing that you're a girl."

"Meow," the cat said politely, nodding her head. He smiled, and got onto the couch to stroke her fur softly.

They sat there for a few moments, until a soft purring came from the cat's throat. Baron couldn't help but smile at the sound, and scratched her ear softly.

"I wonder what your name is…" he said softly, one finger trailing away from her ear and tracing the gold collar. He sighed sadly. "With a collar like this, you probably already have a nice home, with people that love you."

She looked up at him, and nodded.

"Meow," she said softly, a little sad for him, or maybe herself. He smiled, and held her closer.

"I had always known that cats were more intelligent than most people give them credit for, but I feel like you know exactly what I'm saying."

"Meow," she said again, licking his hand, close to the base of the thumb. He sighed, and then got off the couch in order to walk to an open window.

"I'm on the corner of Misty and Horner Street. Can you find your way home from here?"

The brown cat nodded affirmingly, and hopped onto the windowsill.

"Would you like me to come with you anyway?" he asked, leaning closer to her. If he could have told feline expressions, he could have sworn that she was smiling at him. The fascinating little cat shook her head, but took a swipe at his cheek with her tongue, silently thanking him.

He jumped back a little in surprise, and felt the spot where she licked him. He smiled again, sensing that she knew what he had done for her on the street.

"If you're ever in the neighborhood again, feel free to drop by, okay?"

The cat seemed to smile again, and made a respectable bow to him before gently making her way onto the tree just outside the window, and eased her way with careful grace down the trunk, jumping from branch to branch until reaching the ground in safety. She looked up at him once more before leaving, a slight hint of sadness in her eyes. She bowed only one more time before running down the street.

Baron sighed once more, hoping that she would be more careful this time. He wasn't planning on leaving his small house for the rest of the day, so that he could focus on the piles of homework.

Pouring the leftover sweetened milk into a plastic container, in case she came back, he suddenly stopped moving. With one hand, he reached into the pocket of the jacket he had been wearing at the rescue. When the hand withdrew from the fabric, a small yellow box was in his fist. He stared at it, wondering what could possibly be important enough to the cat to risk her life for it.

He pulled on one end of the red ribbon to loosen the bow that held the box shut. Almost automatically, the top of the box fell open; allowing the blonde youth to look within. Baron immediately started laughing his head off.

"Only a _cat_ would risk her life for some fish crackers!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Baron was lying in a large field, covered with cattails. He took a deep breath of the fresh air, letting peace fall over him like a comforting blanket. For the first time in… he couldn't even __**remember **__how long, he was completely happy._

"_Mind if I join you?"_

_The blonde opened his eyes, to see the brown cat again. She was leaning over him, blocking the sun with her head. And she appeared to be about the same height as himself. _

_He grinned at her, strangely not disturbed by the fact of a talking human-sized cat at all._

"_Not at all. There's plenty of room for both of us." He patted the area right next to him, so the cat lay herself down beside him._

"_What do you think of my home?" she asked a little shyly. Baron took another deep breath of air, and watched a few clouds rearranged themselves in the distance._

"_I've never felt so peaceful in my life. It feels like I've come home after a long exile."_

_The sweet brown cat purred at his praise._

"_Thank you, sir; it's hard not to take just a little bit of pride with my roots. I didn't catch your name, earlier?"_

_He opened his green eyes to look at her again, a little shocked at his lack of manners._

"_Many apologies, Miss. I'm-_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A lilting music interrupted Baron's dream, making him growl into the pillow. He reluctantly opened his eyes, wondering what racket could possibly be going on at this time of night. The glowing alarm clock on his bedside said that it was long after midnight. With a disgruntled moan, he looked out the window. His jaw dropped open with shock.

A parade of cats was coming down the street! Except for the lilting music, they weren't exactly being subtle about it, either.

There were two long lines of attendants, as well as separate ones that were carrying long lanterns that were giving off blue light. A few nearer to the back were casting pink flower petals on the ground before a golden rickshaw, which appeared to be carrying a silvery cat, which in turn was pulled by two hulking cats that were striped like tigers. Occasionally, a few alley cats tried to get close to the rickshaw, but were then thrown into random hedges by a few black and white cats that were obviously acting as security guards.

With a speeding heart, Baron considered going downstairs to get a better look, but then decided to stay where he was, just in case they meant ill.

The parade kept coming down the street until the golden rickshaw was directly in front of his house. A robed cat from the far side of the rickshaw moved to the closer side to the house, his eyes slightly annoyed. Then he looked up, and saw Baron watching them from the window. The robed feline sighed tiredly.

"Please come down, Mr. Gikkingen; we have important business to discuss with you."


	3. The Midnight Visit

Extra

Chapter Three: The Midnight Visit

Baron ducked to the side of the window, with one hand to his mouth in shock.

'_Talking cats? Oh, of course; this is a dream.' _Praying that he wouldn't regret his actions later, he was about to run out of his bedroom, but hesitated long enough to grab a sweater and pulled it over his head while running down the stairs, since he slept without a shirt and it was a little cold outside.

'_Does this have anything to do with the brown cat?'_

He paused at the door long enough to slip on some sandals, hoping that whatever business they had to discuss would be brief. With a trembling heart, he opened the door, and closed it behind him. Breathing through his nostrils to keep his nerves steady, Baron made a steady walk towards the rickshaw, and the cats that were waiting patiently for him.

The robed cat pulled out a clipboard, and started reading from it.

"Allow me to present our wise and incredibly magnificent ruler, the monarch of the Cat Kingdom; The Cat Queen!"

Baron turned his eyes to the silvery white longhair on the rickshaw, who had each strand of fur perfectly combed in place, and the engraved golden armbands gleaming in the moonlight. Between her eyes was a gem of the deepest shade of amethyst; obviously serving as the royal crown. She opened her mismatched eyes to look at him, sending a shiver of something untold, possibly fear, down his spine.

'_She has a blue eye like the brown cat!'_

But her other eye was a deep blood-red instead of a sweet caramel. The light gray cat smiled coyly for him.

"That would be me, if you were wondering."

Baron made a polite bow as his senses reeled. The robed cat coughed again, and resumed reading from his clipboard.

"Let it be known that the cat you so heroically aided this day is none other than the Queen's only heir, the Princess Haru. Given the magnitude of the matter, the Queen has chosen to personally come and express her gratitude in her own words."

'_That cat was a princess? And she let me touch her like a common housecat? This must be the strangest dream I've ever had.' _He looked over at the queen, who appeared to be clearing her throat for a grand speech. But, then she just swallowed.

"Thank you, darling," she said sweetly. Baron twitched angrily, since he had only ever allowed his grandmother to call him 'darling', before she died. Without warning, a rolled up scroll was shoved into his face, by another servant, but this one had brown spots all over him, except for the red spots over his cheeks. The tall blonde took two steps back, a little surprised.

"A list of what you will receive," the cat said nasally. Baron eyed the scroll warily, but then looked at the queen again.

"With… all due respect, Your Majesty; I didn't save your daughter for a reward. I did it because I wanted to. There is no need-"

"Please," the queen said; her voice a little sad. "You saved my daughter's life. My fair kingdom would have dissolved into chaos, if it weren't for your bravery. Please accept my tokens of gratitude. Nothing can compare with Haru's life, but please accept what I can offer."

Although Baron still had some reservations about accepting gifts for being a naturally good person, the look in the queen's eyes made him slowly wrap his fingers around the scroll, and take it from the spotted cat, who was grinning happily.

"Starting tomorrow, you will be showered with marvelous gifts," the robed cat said, tucking the clipboard under one arm. The queen smiled beautifully.

"Until later, darling."

At the queen's words, all the other cats straightened, and the lilting music resumed, thanks to the musicians that had been marching just behind the rickshaw. Baron took a few steps back, allowing the parade to continue its march down the street, and into the rapidly appearing mist.

He watched them leave, until the very last feline had disappeared. Green eyes trailed down to the scroll in his hand, but the assurance his body was making that it was possibly two in the morning made his eyelids unbearably heavy, and made a yawn escape his throat as he made the trek back into his home, up the stairs, and into his bed once more; barely pausing long enough to place the scroll next to his alarm clock, which would surely make him pay for this midnight visit, which had felt all too real.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At promptly 7:30, Baron's alarm clock began its familiar buzzing, making the blonde's green eyes fly open without question; despite the fact that he was still tired. A final yawn was all he offered for defense, but rose anyway; knowing full well that he would know no further rest until tonight. He reached over to shut it off, but his fingers met stiff parchment instead.

The blonde's still-sleeping mind shuddered as he looked over at the scroll, and grabbed it. Baron sat up in his bed, staring at the thing with amazement.

"So that wasn't a dream…" he mused aloud, loosening the cord so that he could unroll the document. His eyes widened again, beholding the list in all its glory.

It was written entirely in feline-inspired hieroglyphics, and he couldn't make sense of a word of it. He sighed tiredly, wondering how the cats expected him to know what his gifts would be.

"I guess I'll find out soon enough." Baron rolled the scroll up, got dressed for another day at school, and headed downstairs to grab some tea and toast for breakfast. The blonde man let another yawn escape his throat at he set the water to boil, and opened up his tea cabinet.

But, instead of the many varying herbs and such he had left in it for his continuous experimentation with the personal blend, the shelves were filled to the brim with identical little boxes, marked with a cat's head. Hesitantly, he opened one box and inhaled the contents carefully.

"Catnip tea?" he asked softly. He had tried it before, on a handful of occasions, but it wasn't exactly his favorite flavor. The young man sighed tiredly, and dropped a teabag into the rapidly boiling water anyway.

But the real surprise came when Baron opened another cupboard, and countless pink boxes fell out of it. He reached down to open one, but then they started wiggling in a menacing manner.

Mice began escaping from their tiny cardboard prisons, and exploring the kitchen. With an icy heart, Baron grabbed a broom and started sweeping the mice on the floor out the back door, and dumping the remaining prisoners with their boxes into the kitchen trash bin. Doing his best to ignore the protesting squeaks from within the can, Baron lifted it up, and walked through the open back door to throw them in the larger bin.

Although he wasn't a wimp by any meaning of the word, waking up to packaged mice in the kitchen was _not_ his idea of a great beginning to a day. Turning away from the trash bin, the blonde suddenly realized the waist-high stalks of cattail grass that had taken over his yard. He groaned at the thought of cutting them, wondering what on earth was going on with today.

'_All right! I could use a marvelous gift about now!'_


	4. The Final Gift

Extra

Chapter Four: The Final Gift

"So then he runs through the campus doors, and slams them shut in the cats' faces!" Toto guffawed helplessly to his girlfriend, who looked a little confused while drinking her soda.

"But since when did Baron start wearing catnip cologne? He doesn't strike me as the type."

Muta hid an evil grin.

"One thing I've learned about Baron over the years is to not be surprised when he does something strange just for the heck of it. Remember when he duct taped Toto's sheets directly onto the bed, so he couldn't get in?"

The darker man gave an eviler grin.

"I really like the time we came over to his house to study, and he had duct taped the fridge shut so that _you_ wouldn't eat him out of house and home."

"He even _admitted_ that was a harmless prank!"

"Yeah; one that saved him at least two hundred dollars in food!"

"What in food?" Baron asked a little groggily, sitting down at the table with his friends; his golden hair darkened by several shades thanks to the shower he had just taken, to be rid of the catnip smell. Hiromi smiled comfortingly at him.

"They were discussing your pranks. Speaking of which; why were you wearing catnip cologne?"

He growled with a little irritation.

"I thought it was my regular one. When I get my hands on…" he trailed off, not certain if he should tell his friends.

Muta looked up; his beady eyes gleaming.

"Yes?"

Baron flushed, and felt the scroll in his pocket with one hand. He bit his lip, already hearing what his friends would say if he tried to tell the truth.

"Someone saw me rescue the cat yesterday, and decided to have a bit of fun with it."

"What kind of fun?" Toto asked; a bit curious as to what could get underneath his dapper friend's skin. Baron bit his lip, and then looked at Hiromi.

"You're studying dead languages, right?"

The sandy blonde blinked, and then nodded. Feeling brave, Baron pulled out the scroll and handed it to her.

"I got this before the pranks started. It's supposed to be a list of what I'm getting, but I can't read it. The pictures look like hieroglyphics," he said half-heartedly as the slim girl unrolled the scroll on the table; her face severe with concentration.

"Whoever's pranking you is doing a top-quality job of it. These look like close cousins to Egyptian writing, but there are definite differences. Hmm… if one thought feline while looking at this…" She pointed at the first column, the one that ended with a cattail stalk.

"This one roughly says, 'May your fields always be tall and healthy. The next one says, 'To your good health, good sir'. That one was the one with the steaming teacup."

Baron nodded grimly, encouraging the girl to go on. Her eyes glittered with triumph.

"The one with the mouse head says, 'To keep your admirable strength from fading', and the one with the little brown sticks says, 'May good fortune follow you as closely'."

Baron fought back a bitter laugh, thinking about the chase that the multiple alley cats had given him, over the cologne.

"What's the last one, Hiromi? I want to be prepared for whatever it is."

She nodded, squinting her eyes while tilting her head at the paper.

"This one should be interesting to pull off. 'To the daring knight who risked his life, he shall be given a crown of his own, and a princess besides, to share the rest of his life with.'" The young woman looked up at him, and rested her head on one arm; a little amused. "So tell us, Baron; do you know any princesses?"

Baron's jaw dropped as his heart froze in undeniable fear.

"No… that can't be what it says! Please, try reading it again!"

Hiromi sighed tiredly.

"Baron; it clearly states that you will be given a princess of your own, and a crown. Last time I heard something this poetic, it was in a movie. A king was giving his daughter in marriage to the knight who rescued her from death."

Baron burst from his chair, and started circling the table like mad; his eyes wide with fear.

"They managed to do all the others. Why shouldn't they be able to do this one?!" he muttered to himself; wishing that he had rejected the scroll like he had wanted to in the first place. No wonder that queen seemed so smug.

"Baron, calm down," Muta laughed, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and forcing him to sit down. "How many princesses would be willing to marry an aspiring doctor?"

The blonde shook with fear.

"That's not what's bothering me, Muta! The cat I saved yesterday went by 'Princess'!" It should be safe for him to admit that much. His friends stared at him; more than a little shocked.

"This prankster promised to marry you to the cat you saved?" Hiromi whispered as her eye twitched. Both Muta and Toto got an evil smirk.

"Dang, Baron! We _really _didn't think you were the type!"

"I'm not!" the blonde protested; panic beginning to swell within him.

"I wonder if they make wedding dresses that small," Muta evilly mused aloud, making Baron get up from his seat and started pacing around the table again; his fear renewed as an unexpected blush stained his cheeks.

"There has to be a way to stop this!"

Muta laughed.

"Easy. Don't go home tonight. I wouldn't mind a little company for a day or so in my apartment."

"Are you mad!" Toto yelled. "Remember what happened _last_ time Baron went to your apartment?!"

Muta shuddered at the sharply recalled memory. As did the blonde in question, since he had always admired a well-kept home, which Muta definitely didn't have until Baron walked through the door.

"I never did find my remote after that. All right Bird Brain; how about your place?"

Toto nodded firmly, sending a comforting smile to his friend, although there was a sliver of wickedness in it.

"Don't worry Baron; we'll protect you from your feline bride."

"She isn't my bride!" the tawny youth protested again, fighting the magenta blush that had taken over his face. Hiromi couldn't help but giggle, handing the scroll back.

"Why don't we all go to Toto's, for support? I won't be able to stay the night, but we could do some studying for a while."

Baron smiled thankfully at her, wondering what would happen when the cats would try to fulfill the last gift.

'_I wonder if Princess Haru had anything to do with planning the last gift.'_


	5. The Royal Escort

Extra

Chapter Five: The Royal Escort

"… animal, vegetable, or feline?" Muta asked, semi-reading from the textbook.

"Feline," Baron answered absent-mindedly before snapping to attention. "Muta! You're supposed to be distracting me, remember?!"

Toto grinned evilly, and poured a bit more mulberry tea into the cups while Muta took a long drink of milk, having always harbored a strong dislike for tea.

"Yeah, Fatso; tease him _after_ he gives the fiancé the boot!"

"She's not a fiancé," Baron protested once more, although he knew full well that his words were going in one ear and out the other, for his two best friends at least. Hiromi, however, was showing a surprising amount of sympathy for him. She laughed lightly, pushing the bowl of popcorn closer to him, although she knew he hated the stuff.

"Just out of curiosity, Baron; have you considered the idea that all these gifts could be an elaborate cry for your attention by a secret admirer?"

Baron shook his head firmly.

"I met the ones behind this last night, which is why I had the scroll. They practically begged me to take it, but if I had known what they were promising-"

"You met them? Do you really think they'd marry you off to a real cat?"

"Without a second thought. Their leader was unhinged, to say the least."

Muta and Toto stopped trying to strangle each other in the background.

"What was his name?"

Baron flushed.

"For starters, it was a she, and she didn't offer a name."

"Did she hit on you at all?" Hiromi asked, her eyes sparkling a little mischievously. The blonde fought the urge to see his lunch and breakfast again.

"No. She's old enough to be my mother." In cat years, he would guess, if she was offering him her daughter's hand-_paw_- in marriage. Muta snorted.

"So? It wouldn't be the first time an old lady hit on you."

Baron turned to them with blazing eyes.

"I thought you two were on my side!"

"We are," Muta almost purred. "We're just milking this for all it's worth. Not even finding out about Louise got under your skin this deeply."

Baron growled under his breath.

"When compared to these maniacs, I'd prefer a _week_ alone with Louise and the long-term fiancé that she couldn't be bothered to tell me about!"

Toto whistled appreciatively.

"That bad?"

"Worse," Baron pressed, taking a sip of the cooling tea in an attempt to distract himself. The clock was ticking closer to seven, and the sun outside was beginning to set in the distance. How much time did he have before the last gift would be presented? Were the cats waiting outside his house again, with a dressed-up princess? How long would they wait, before they figured out that he wasn't coming?

Baron stared at the textbook in front of him, trying to focus on the descriptions of various illnesses, but his gaze was far beyond the printed words. He thought about the possibility and embarrassment of having to explain to everyone that the cat wasn't his pet, but his wife. Children were obviously out of the question-

Why were his thoughts going in that direction?! He was camped out in Toto's living room for the sole purpose of _avoiding_ that fate!

Just as Hiromi stretched lazily, the doorbell rang. Toto and Muta stopped arguing, and looked toward the door, as well as an extremely nervous Baron.

"It's them," he whispered, sensing how true the statement was. Toto scoffed dismissively.

"Or it could be Mrs. Yoshioka again, with another plate of cookies." The raven-haired man gave a triumphant smile to Muta as he walked closer to the door. "There are a few advantages to being on good terms with your landlady."

The fatter brunette scowled angrily as Baron jumped to behind of the couch, just in case. Hiromi laughed at him as her boyfriend unlocked the door, and opened it slightly to see who it was.

"Who's-AUGH!" Without warning, Toto was thrown to the floor. Muta stood up from his place, shocked that a posse of gray cats had weaseled their way into the apartment, which had tripped Toto.

Hiromi screamed as they swarmed the living room; heading straight for the couch Baron was hiding behind. The tawny victim jumped out of his place, and ran for the kitchen. Grabbing a broom, he started sweeping cats away as fast as they could come.

"I'm _not _marrying your princess!" he yelled, hoping that they would get the idea from his actions. To the amazement of his companions, one of the gray cats stood on his hind paws to look at the lad sternly; obvious pain in his voice.

"Do you have any idea how many cats would give all nine of their lives to spend a _single _day as the princess's husband?! Don't you understand what a high honor it is, to even be _considered_ worthy?!"

"I don't care!" Baron yelled again, taking another swipe with his broom. "If it's such a high honor, give it to someone else! Someone that wants it!"

The cat shook his head firmly.

"You were chosen, and you accepted the scroll. You are the official betrothed to her royal highness, the Princess Haru."

"I wasn't given full disclosure!" Baron protested, kicking away a cat that got too close to him. His friends broke free from their shock, and started kicking their way through the cats, trying to get closer to Baron, except for Hiromi, who just stood back and waited for them to finish.

"You saved a cat princess?!" Muta asked, chucking one cat at the wall. "Why didn't you mention that sooner?!"

"Would you have believed me?!" Baron asked while sweeping another cat away from him. Toto would have made another ill-meant comment, but couldn't for the swarming cats that relentlessly kept trying to get close to Baron.

After about ten minutes, all the cats were lying on their backs and sides, mewing pitifully from the pain. Muta grinned wickedly while slapping Baron on the back.

"There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Baron laughed, a little relieved that it had been a fairly easy win.

Perhaps a little _too _easy.

"Toto, my love; you were magnificent!" Hiromi said happily while jumping at her boyfriend, who swung her around and planted another kiss on her lips. Muta started gagging.

"Can't you two get a room or something?"

Toto broke off the kiss to answer, but then became distracted by a strange humming sound. Without warning, the beige tiles under their feet turned a bright blue, warm like a light.

For a precious split-second, Baron felt like he was weightless; miraculously floating in a luminescent sea.

Then, gravity reasserted itself, making the humans and felines fall through the light, with the humans shamelessly screaming.

When the periwinkle blue faded, the beige tile was visible again, but the apartment was now devoid of any life forms.


	6. The Cat Queen

Extra

Chapter Six: The Cat Queen

Everyone fell onto a cold tile floor, which was a creamy marble. Baron's chest seemed to cave inward from the impact, knocking the breath from his lungs. Instead of Toto's ceiling, he was staring upwards several stories high to a stained glass ceiling, which seemed to feature goldfish.

The groans and mews from all around him seemed to be much louder than it had been, before. Without warning, a bunch of white cats rushed up with stretchers, and started piling the gray cats into the comforting canvas, the felines now close to the humans' height.

"Really, my young Baron; don't you think that was a little far for you to go?"

Immediately recognizing the voice, Baron weakly moved his head in order to look at the speaker. His mouth fell open in shock, but breath was still coming too slowly for him to gasp.

The Cat Queen was lounging on her throne, but she was undeniably different than when Baron had last seen her.

For one, she was in a flowing lavender gown of a Greek style. For another, she had a _hand _sloshing a fruity drink slightly. Her body, he could tell by the dress, had also somehow changed to mimic a human's. Even her clawed feet were tied up with Greek-style sandals. But the gold armbands and purple jewel were still there. The fur framing her face was pulled back into a fancy bun. She also appeared to be close to his own height. The queen shook her head at him in disapproval.

"It's most undignified to maim an escorting party, young man. If you keep this up, I'll run out of servants."

His friends stared at the queen as Baron struggled to rise to his knees, then his feet.

"Look; the offer is very flattering, Your Majesty, but I'm not the least bit interested in marrying your daughter."

She gave him an icy smile.

"Is she not good enough for you? Is there something about her that displeases you?"

"Yes, actually." The tawny youth outstretched his arms, to give the Cat Queen the best possible view of his body. "As you can plainly see, I am a human. Your daughter is a cat. A marriage between us is against the laws of nature."

She laughed at him, and stood up from her throne; also spreading her arms out, so that he could better see her unique form.

"I would have thought that _you_ would have noticed my body, my good Baron. While she is in our kingdom, my little Haru has even more human traits than I do, almost annoyingly so. She's quite comely in either form, you know, and you're quite the object of jealousy by many males in my kingdom. Besides, given a little time within our boundaries, you will change into a partial feline, as will your friends, if they don't leave soon."

"We're not leaving without Baron!" Muta growled, standing close to his friend as the other two nodded firmly, also getting to their feet. The queen laughed.

"Then none of you are leaving. Baron I know what to do with, but the rest of you… ah well. I have enough time to think of something before my darling daughter returns."

Toto spoke up; his eyes aflame.

"We _are _leaving, and Baron is, too! Tell her, Baron!"

"I will not marry your daughter," the tawny man said firmly, his own eyes shooting green fire. The queen laughed again, an edge of purring making the sound a strange one indeed.

"I know none of my subjects told you about the last gift, so how did you know about it, if you can't read feline?"

Toto proudly placed a hand on Hiromi's shoulder, getting her to stand a little taller. Mismatched eyes flicked toward the girl, making the silvery feline to stare at the girl, perhaps looking at the blonde female through some feline sixth sense. For no reason at all, whatever she saw in Hiromi made the silvery half-feline start laughing.

"Then perhaps she would be kind enough to read what's written on the edges of the scroll. Perhaps a little light would be shed, as to why Baron can't leave, no matter how much he wants to."

The college girl looked over at the blonde, making him fish around in his pocket for the scroll. Hiromi rolled it open again, noticing for the first time the slightly faded red writing that bordered the hieroglyphics she had originally translated for Baron. She tilted her head at the thing; rotating it until she was certain she was at the beginning of the forgotten message.

"The first human male that touches this document will be bound, now and forever, to Haru of the royal cat line. If he…" Hiromi grimaced a little, and turned the scroll to keep reading. "… isn't brought to the kingdom within a day of accepting the betrothal, he will die a slow death by fire in the blood. If he tries to leave the kingdom without his bride, or attempts to leave her after exiting the kingdom, his heart will cease to beat; sending him to an early grave," the blonde girl concluded; her voice now soft and reverent. Her olive green eyes were alive with untold horror for her tall friend's strange fate.

Baron raised one hand to his heart, imagining what it would feel like for it to suddenly stop the steady beat. He turned to the queen again; his eyes becoming more and more fierce.

"I'm to be kept here as a prisoner, for the rest of my life?"

"If that's the way you choose to look at it, darling," the crowned feline said sweetly before sipping out of the crazy straw in her drink. "_My_ husband saw it that way, but it only led to trouble-" she was cut off as Baron suddenly jumped for one of the stretchers, and pulled out one of the long sticks that made up a side. Luckily, it was about the right height to make a decent staff.

"How dare you?" Baron whispered harshly as his slow temper rose to a dangerous level; a certain level that had only happened twice before in his life. Not even a betrayal by the woman he had once hoped to marry came close to the outrage he now felt. "How dare you trick me into getting engaged to some girl I barely know?!" He held his staff ready as his best friends also robbed the stretchers for weapons. The queen shook her head at him like he was a silly child throwing a tantrum.

"Just what do you hope to accomplish, Baron? Even if you find your way back to the Human Kingdom, you can never return without dying in the process."

Baron glared at her as his friends joined him again, ready to fight at his side. Even through his anger, the tawny man could appreciate how willing his friends were to stay with him; even through this.

"It's better than waiting around to marry your princess." He didn't care what would happen after he escaped the clutches of this crazy queen, but one simple fact was asserting itself over and over in his head, getting louder and louder with each speeding heartbeat.

And that was the pure and simple fact that he would _not_ marry the Princess Haru, especially if this turned out to be _her_ idea.


	7. The Imprisonment

Extra

Chapter Seven: The Imprisonment

The following minutes were unpleasant ones for the guards, to say the least. Clearly, no one had expected the trio to be trained fighters, and Hiromi had obviously learned a few things from playing lacrosse for half of her life. But the guards were well-trained, and they outnumbered the quartet with ease.

Thanks to the fact that the afore mentioned quartet had a bit more aggression than their huge opponents, the casualties kept building higher and higher around the humans, almost barricading themselves within a rising wall of broken and bruised green cats.

The queen was actually clapping her hands with delight.

"Haru will be so thrilled that her affianced will be able to duel with her! I can't wait until she gets home to see this!"

The robed cat from before started flipping through his clipboard papers.

"According to the schedule, your daughter won't be back for three days, Majesty. Which means in reality that she'll probably be back in three and a half days."

Her majesty sighed tiredly.

"I guess you're right, Natori. But how on earth are we going to keep these four occupied until then? They're going through the guards at an alarming rate," she said, almost like a disappointed game spectator. Natori looked at his clipboard again, trying to find an alternative.

Finally, the queen slammed one fist into her other hand.

"Of course!" Her eyes sharpened on the fighting quartet, and the amethyst gem on her brow began to glow mystically.

Baron raised his weapon to strike again, but then the feeling of being weightless returned. But, not, at the same time.

A purple flooring appeared beneath the feet of him and his companions, and lifting them high into the air, somehow going right through the guards. Before the quartet could get their bearings back and jump off the purple sheet under them, it began to grow and fold over itself; creating a translucent purple room, complete with a ceiling, suspended several stories high. The queen smiled smugly as they began beating the walls and floor with their weapons.

"Have fun up there, darlings. For that's where you will all be staying until my daughter returns, and we can have the wedding."

"I am NOT marrying your daughter!" Baron yelled at the cat woman as she got off her throne and stretched leisurely, purring in a self-congratulatory fashion.

"I think your tempers need a little time to cool down. Until later, darlings." With that, she left the room, with only nurses and soldiers below them for company as the painful meowing continued.

Baron slammed one fist into the wall again, willing it to shatter like glass. But no; the flimsy stuff was actually more stable than the walls of the college campus. Muta finally landed on his backside from exhaustion, as Toto and Hiromi held each other close for comfort.

"That queen cheated! Not only did she have more people, but she used magic!"

"She was using magic from the beginning," Baron softly reminded his fat friend, also taking a break and sitting down. The scroll in his pocket seemed to be digging into his chest, reminding him of the fate that seemed to be unalterably his.

"So, where do we go from here?" Hiromi quietly asked while tightening her grip on Toto, who sighed.

"Well, since none of us understand how their magic works, it looks like we're stuck up here until the princess comes for Baron."

The mentioned blonde tightened his grip on the staff in his hands, wishing that his strength would return faster. Did Princess Haru think like her mother, and just not care what he wanted? Whose idea was it for him to become the Cat Prince, anyway? As he looked at the hand gripping the weapon, he realized that it was hairier than he remembered it to be. Then the tiny hairs kept growing, until they formed a solid coat. It was about here that he realized that his face was slowly changing shape as well.

He sharply looked up at his friends, and watched with amazement as they also shifted into half-cat forms, which were apparently the norm, here in the kingdom. Muta's appearance changed to that of a creamy cat with a spot of familiar brown on one ear. Toto became a completely black cat while Hiromi grew peach-colored fur that was close to her hair color. They started feeling their new fur with padded hands; amazed at themselves. Toto groaned in dismay.

"Dang it, Baron; if you were going to save a princess, couldn't you have saved a bird princess? I'd have made a killer crow."

"Thanks for the support," Baron muttered angrily, feeling his new face with one hand, while keeping his grip on the staff with the other hand. Then tails began sprouting from their backsides, tearing their pants apart just at the base. Hiromi was safe from that, since she was wearing a skirt.

How long would they be waiting up here?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few more hours later, a blue circle appeared in the middle of the translucent floor of the purple prison, awakening the souls within from their troubled slumber. A platter of food appeared, as well as a few goblets and a pitcher of what looked like water, before quickly disappearing, so that they couldn't try to escape.

Muta sighed happily, but then pulled a disgusted face at seeing what was being offered.

"_Fish_," he said dismissively, holding one up by the tail. "On top of that, whole _raw _fish."

"It shouldn't be surprising," Toto stated. The girl still in his arms shuddered at the wide eyes that seemed to stare at her in death.

Muta slapped the fish back onto the platter, and looked at the pitcher with interest.

"But some water couldn't hurt." He reached over, and poured himself a glass. "Anyone else, as long as I'm holding this?"

"I could use some water," Hiromi admitted while Toto nodded in agreement. The fat half-cat looked over at the tawny one.

"What about you, Baron?"

"No thanks," he muttered, not wishing to take of feline hospitality. Muta shrugged, and then passed out the goblets.

"To getting out of here," he said solemnly, raising his drink. Toto and Hiromi raised theirs as well.

"To getting out of here," they repeated before bringing the cups to their lips.

"Stop!" Baron suddenly shouted, getting Muta to spill his drink all over his front.

"Oh, gee; thanks a lot," the fatso growled as his slimmer friend walked up to him, and carefully sniffed the wet fur as Toto struggled to contain his mirth; the toast forgotten for now.

"Don't drink the water," Baron insistently ordered. "It's drugged."

Hiromi immediately dropped her goblet, she and her boyfriend standing up to avoid the dampness that covered the floor of their prison.

"How can you tell?" Toto asked. Baron laughed darkly.

"It's this blasted cat nose. It could tell something was off in the water." He sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if the fish was tampered with, too. It'd be a good idea not to consume anything they offer us."

"But how long will we be able to hold out without food or water?" Hiromi whispered, rubbing her face into Toto's shoulder.

"Three days tops. Just in time for her highness to come and watch us die." Baron suddenly brightened. He couldn't marry anyone if he was dead.

No. He could never take a life, even his own.

"MY MOTHER DID _WHAT_??"

The quartet looked up at the extremely loud voice, which appeared to be coming from an entirely different wing of the castle. Muta chuckled darkly.

"Here comes the bride."


	8. The Cat Princess

Extra

Chapter Eight: The Cat Princess

The Cat Queen looked up from the white dress she had been examining as her young daughter stormed in; her mismatched eyes aflame.

Princess Haru had obviously just arrived, since she was still in her black military uniform. True, she was a lady, but it had been proven time and again that more people were willing to listen to what a princess had to say if they couldn't be distracted by a fluttering skirt. Even her long head fur, similar to a natural-born human's, was pulled back in an easy pony tail. The queen smiled lovingly at her beloved heir.

"Darling! You weren't supposed to be back for three more days."

"The eastern feud had been exaggerated in the report. Mother, I need you to do something for me."

The queen's smile deepened, and she set down the latest of the wedding dress choices.

"Name it, sweetheart."

"Tell me that you didn't give my rescuer from yesterday the scroll."

Her mother's mismatched eyes widened.

"But, _my dear_; he's perfect for you."

"That doesn't matter. Mother; you've promised for years that not only would _I _be the one to deliver the scroll, I'd also be the one that chose who it would be delivered to. What happened to that promise?"

"You _did _choose him, love! I saw the look on your face when he was holding you in his home."

"So what?! Did I say the words?! Did I give any indication to him that I was more than a regular housecat?! No! Because I had no intention of letting him know that I am a princess, and a single one at that!"

"That's enough! You know the law, Haru!"

"No, I know the curse!"

"Same difference! The royal line _must _continue, by any means necessary!"

"But what about the people hurt on the way?! Don't they matter?!"

"Of course they do! Their opinions, on the other hand, are a completely different story! The curse can't be broken, Haru; you know that! In order to keep the kingdom stable-"

The brown princess cut off her mother with more screams as tears of frustration and hurt flowed down her face.

"I know, already! It's my _duty_ to marry a human male and continue the royal line, but you know what?!"

The word 'duty' had fallen from her lips with the same distaste the princess held for canines, or manure. She started storming toward the curtain as her mother tried to stop her.

"You just told me that my opinion doesn't matter, either! Thanks for nothing!"

"Haru, wait-"

But she didn't. With that, the crown princess flung aside the curtain, and started running down the halls. Servants wisely steered clear of her way, allowing her to just run.

Her heart felt like it was about to fall out of her chest and shatter onto the gleaming tiles her feet were beating against.

'_That poor guy. He was just being nice, and this happens to him!'_ Yes, she had enjoyed his warm and gentle touch, but what sane girl wouldn't? Besides, so few men had ever been allowed to touch her, let alone so intimately. Even her own father had never offered to so much as kiss her goodnight.

"_Father…" _She leaned against a wall, regaining her breath. No matter how many times she told herself that she had gotten over the incident of his death, something would eventually remind her of that terrible day, and her depression would begin all over again. Her mother was never a true help in that area, only offering her potions to help mask the fact that she was desperately unhappy.

"She still promised to let me choose my mate," she muttered miserably as a servant nervously approached her.

"Would you like to see your fiancé, Highness?" she asked gently; true concern evident in her features. Haru sighed, and then managed a half-smile for the servant.

"Yes. To apologize for all this, if nothing else. Where is he?"

"In the throne room. Uh, Her Majesty put them in a transbox, to keep them from escaping."

"She what?!" Her anger began to return, making her run down the halls again at a breakneck speed, except she had a destination this time.

She tore through the huge red curtains that separated the hallway from the throne room, and started looking around madly.

Many of the guards she had known for years were in tired mewing piles as nurses rushed around, trying to help five each at once.

"Where is he?!" she asked them in a panic, since the princess couldn't see an orange cat among them. A nurse managed to spare a hand long enough to point upwards. Haru looked up, a bit surprised that her mother had chosen to suspend the transbox so high up. And then again to see that there was more than one person within, looking back at her. Who else had her mother catnapped?!

The prisoners were staring at her in shock. Well, she supposed that it _would _seem a little strange, to see a girl that was obviously a princess dressed like a prince. She wasn't even wearing her crown.

The young royal to the Cat Kingdom slapped her hand to her forehead, completely disgusted by her mother's treatment of the one she wished to make her son-in-law.

Sighing tiredly, Haru swept one leg swiftly in front of her body, her toes tracing the ground to make a transparent blue circle underneath her feet. Carefully concentrating, she used the circle like an elevator to rise to the transbox's level, still a good fifty feet away from the people within, so they wouldn't get more nervous, although they were warily watching her. When she was certain that she was exactly level with the transbox, she sharply clicked the heel of one of her black boots on the blue circle, which obligingly grew until the throne room was neatly divided into two sections. The light purple floor of the transbox became darkened as her blue magic intermingled with her mother's purple signature. Then the new blue floor became less translucent, and finally appeared to be a regular blue floor.

Slowly, so that the prisoners wouldn't panic, she walked to the transbox, and raised her hand to release them. But then she stopped dead; seeing the overturned food and refreshment.

"Did any of you actually eat that?" she asked worriedly, since she didn't want to be pounced on by hormonally charged males again. She knew how to deal with such rogues, but preferred not getting into a situation like that. Her rescuer, who now looked so different, shook his new cat head.

"We could tell it was drugged."

"You mean _you _could tell it was drugged," his black companion corrected. Haru breathed a sigh of relief, and slashed her hand in front of the box, which quivered like Jell-o before bursting apart. The princess immediately bowed to her unwilling fiancé, so that he could see her sincerity.

"For the record, Sir; _I_ was going to send you an anonymous fruit basket or something. I… I didn't want this to happen to you or your companions."

They had to be ex-humans as well, she guessed from their attire. Her rescuer nodded gravely at her; his yellow-green eyes more understanding than she was expecting them to be.

More than ever, she felt aware of her strange appearance, which was unusual even in the Cat Kingdom. Although she was one shade of shorthair brown while in her full-cat form, her body inside the kingdom was nearly taken over by short tan fur, with dark brown long fur on her head, so much like a human's. Right now, she felt certain that if a stranger were asked which in the group was the original human, they would point to her, the only true cat in the makeshift room.

Her rescuer spoke; his voice as grave as his gaze.

"We heard you loud and clear when you were arguing with the queen. You're not the one we're angry with."

Of course, with how loud she had been screaming, the entire castle had probably heard her. This wasn't too surprising to the princess, since everyone knew of her impressive lung capability. Her betrothed gestured to his friends, which seemed vaguely familiar to the princess.

"This is Muta, Toto, and Hiromi. They kind of got dragged along for the ride here."

At the last name, Haru's ears flicked upwards, and she looked at the female a little more closely.

"Hiromi? Say, it really _is_ you!"

The peachy cat blinked her olive eyes.

"Uh…"

The princess shook her hand gently to calm the girl, smiling softly.

"Don't worry about it. You wouldn't remember me anyway."

The black cat at her side, Toto, stiffened.

"Remember what?" he asked sharply.

"This is the second time Hiromi's visited my kingdom. I managed to get her out the first time, ten years ago, but I'm afraid it's too late for any of you to return now. Sunrise was three hours ago."


	9. The Princess's Hospitality

Extra

Chapter Nine: The Princess's Hospitality

"Sunrise? But-" Toto tried to talk, but then just gestured out the window, which had allowed unchanging afternoon sunlight to filter through ever since they had arrived. The princess smiled, understanding his confusion.

"Cat time is different than human time. Trust me on this."

"What does the sunrise have to do with anything?" Muta asked gruffly.

"Well, if humans don't leave by the following sunrise of their world, they're stuck as a cat. Hiromi had gone back to her world before the sun set when she had come here the first time, so she wasn't in any danger."

"I think I'd remember coming here!" the peachy cat protested, realizing that the forgotten visit _must _have been why she could read cat. But the princess shook her head firmly.

"After a human returns to their world, they always forget that my kingdom even exists. Part of the spell over my land. You had fallen into one of the lakes at Cat's Paw Park ten years ago at a family reunion during the full moon, and I sent you back to your world before sunset. Now; I'm sure all of you are hungry."

"And thirsty," Muta added.

"And tired," Toto said, drawing Hiromi close again. Haru laughed a little sadly, and then bowed politely again.

"Please forgive me. You haven't been shown the proper hospitality."

She snapped her fingers, and a table with chairs rose from the floor. At first, they were the same blue as the floor, but then morphed into oak. Platters appeared, filled with fruit, pancakes, biscuits, and anything else humans could possibly want out of a breakfast.

Except eggs. Part of her promise to Snow included never consuming eggs.

Muta whistled appreciatively while taking a seat.

"Dang; you could show those cooks a thing or two."

Haru laughed at the compliment as the quartet seated and started helping themselves.

"They only sent you fish and water for punishment, and to drug you all so that I wouldn't think anything was wrong when I came back. Again; I'm sorry that all this happened."

Her fiancé almost smiled at her, as he poured himself a cup of steaming tea.

"And again, Highness; you're not the one responsible for the mess. I'm Baron von Gikkingen, by the way."

Haru blinked, not realizing that she hadn't known his name. Baron…

"It suits you. You probably know my name, but I prefer to just be called 'Haru'. I honestly thought that you'd be more aggressive about everything than this."

He grimaced and pointed downward.

"We vented it on your guards until the queen banished us up here. They had cleaned up the worst of it before you came, but there was a quite impressive casualty count."

"Did you kill anyone?" she asked sternly.

"No, but I think many of them are scarred for life."

The princess actually started laughing.

"They already were. By me." She turned away, and raised her arms again, to start making further accommodations for the ex-humans.

"Will you not be joining us?" Baron asked her. Her arms froze.

"I didn't think you and your companions would be comfortable sharing a meal with me."

"Nonsense. Please sit down."

Since the tawny cat had asked, she made another chair appear on the longer side of the table that Hiromi was on, and made another plate and goblet appear. Seating herself neatly in it, she helped herself to a few blueberry pancakes with maple syrup. Her breakfast companions watched her neatly cut the pancakes into a few segments at a time with a knife, instead of the side of a fork, and eat the portions neatly. After a few seconds, she noticed they were staring.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Muta shook his head in disbelief.

"You sure don't act like a princess."

"Sure she does!" Toto countered immediately. "You just don't recognize good manners when you see them!"

"Take that back, you Bird Brain!"

"Why don't you make me?!"

Muta immediately propelled himself out of the chair and knocked his dark friend out of his. Haru immediately stood up in shock.

"It's not that big of a deal!" she protested. "There's no need to-"

"Please sit down, Haru," Baron said, calmly sipping the tea she had provided. "Don't worry about their feuds."

Although she was skeptical, the brown cat slowly lowered herself into the seat again as the peach one laughed.

"Yeah, this is the longest I've seen them go without fighting each other. They fight all the time."

"Sounds like a strange friendship," Haru said skeptically, taking a sip of tea. A blue ball hanging from her belt started talking.

"Honey; are you done talking to Baron yet? We're waiting for you down here."

Haru picked up the ball and placed it close to her mouth.

"No, I'm not done, and I don't think I will be for a while. Oh, and the wedding's cancelled until further notice."

"What?! You can't do that!"

"I just did," Haru stated; squeezing the ball until it turned black. Hiromi stared at the trinket as Haru hooked it back onto her belt.

"Is that the Cat Kingdom version of a cell phone?"

"Yes. But I do need to clarify a few things. Baron, just to cover bases, you were tricked into accepting an engagement with me, neither of us want the commitment to a complete stranger, but we don't have a choice in the matter, and your friends got dragged into things by their loyalty to you?"

He nodded.

"That pretty much covers what's happened. Is there a way out of the engagement?"

"One, but I don't think we want to use it."

"Why not?"

She looked at him, her mismatched eyes turning sad.

"Because I doubt you want to die, even to escape a future with me, and I doubt you have it in you to kill me. If one of us died, the engagement contract would be null and void, but it still wouldn't give you or your companions back the human lives that were unfairly stolen from you."

Baron's mouth fell open in shock, but then closed. He nodded his head at the princess, knowing that he _couldn't_ kill her, now that he had actually spoken _with_ her instead of _to_ her. He may not love her, but he didn't hate her enough to do such a despicable thing either.

"There's a way out of the marriage, but it wouldn't fix anything."

Toto looked up from trying to strangle Muta.

"What is it?"

"To just not get married. I could adopt an heir, but my mother's been fighting that idea ever since I told her about it." She took a deep breath. "I know I don't have the right to ask this, Baron, but I suggest a compromise."

He cocked his head at her, now that he didn't have eyebrows to raise anymore.

"What kind of compromise?"

"The kind that will make my mother incredibly angry, and possibly regret the day she decided to engage us without our permission."

That was when Baron spoke his first purr, although it had come unexpectedly.

"I'm all ears."


	10. The Courtship Plan

Extra

Chapter Ten: The Courtship Plan

The queen glared up at the blue ceiling as her teleball turned black.

"What does she think she's doing?" the silvery cat whispered. "She knows she has to marry him. I won't allow her to discontinue the family line on a whim."

Well, Baron had to eat sooner or later; a drop or two from one of her little potions should tame that wild spirit. Or just make it hotter, but to her advantage. Baron was sure to make a very attractive feline, and her daughter had been known to make men swoon just by gracing them with one of her better smiles. Both of them were perfect examples of superior breeding, and would make for a superior heir.

It was still about an hour before the blue ceiling began to slowly drop. The queen growled and poked the elderly priest that was to perform the ceremony, who was falling asleep on his feet. He stumbled, an embarrassed cough covered with one sleeve.

"What, what? Ah, good."

Finally the blue ceiling came down on everyone's heads, but then went through them. The queen didn't so much as blink as the ceiling passed over her, and finally rest on the ground underneath them, to reveal the princess and ex-humans standing in a group. If the queen wasn't worried by the newcomers' lack of aggression, she would have been by the rather impressive swords they were now wearing, or the slightly naughty smiles on their faces.

"Mother, I have a proposition for you," Haru said in her political voice; her eyes calm and guarded. The Cat Queen started hissing.

"The kind where you marry Baron right now?"

"No."

"Then forget about it."

"As you wish." Princess Haru unsheathed her sword, as did her companions. "I refuse to marry a stranger, and Baron refuses the same. Just out of curiosity, how many guards can you send right now to prevent us from escaping? We could do a lot of damage, both inside and outside the palace."

The queen hissed, and turned to her high advisor, who shook his head.

"We've proven that it takes at least two hundred to subdue your daughter alone when she's in a good mood, and only fifty soldiers can be called immediately, if they aren't scared by the Baron's entourage enough to just surrender."

Baron bit back a laugh, not quite believing that the princess could take down that many by herself, since she had the same slim build as a child. But then again, she was obviously a magical genius…

"Oh, the damage we could do to the royal reputation," Haru said dreamily, swinging her sword like a pendulum. The queen watched it with a sense of horror.

"What… was that proposition again?" the silvery cat asked slowly. Her daughter grinned; having known that her mother would give in under enough pressure.

"Simple. Our major reason for protest against this marriage, now that you fixed the species barrier, is the little fact that we didn't want it, and we don't know each other. If you wish us to cooperate quietly, Baron and his companions are to be put under my care for the space of one year, which Baron and I will use to get acquainted. If we decide to get married by the end of the year, fine. If not…"

"If not?" her mother prodded.

"I adopt an heir."

Her mother jumped out of her seat, livid with fury.

"I have had it with your attitude, young lady! I brought you into this world, gave you everything that I have, and this is how you thank me?!"

"This is how I thank you for breaking a promise that you made repeatedly. Would you like to fight my proposition?"

"Yes! You deserve to share your life with someone great, not just use an adoption scapegoat so that you don't have to marry!"

"Adoptions are fairly common in the royal line; you know that."

"When one _couldn't _find a suitable mate, and Baron's perfectly suitable!"

"Yes, he is," Haru agreed, making the orange and cream cat in question blush a little. "But I won't have him if he won't have me."

Her mother stared at her.

"You're really going to try it? Are you insane?"

"I'm your daughter, what do you think?"

Toto bit back a laugh as the queen turned a little crimson under her silvery fur.

"Fine! You have a year!" The queen left the room in a huff with her entourage. "But you're grounded from your duties until a marriage happens!"

"Hold on!" Haru protested. "_All _my duties?!"

"That's right!" her mother shouted over her shoulder. "It'll give you more time to spend with Baron!"

With that she was gone, as well as all of her subjects. Much to the surprise of the princess's companions, she started cackling evilly.

"I'm so going to use that punishment to my advantage." She turned and bowed to the ex-humans again. "Since that worked out so well, how about I show you to your rooms?"

"Sleep?" Muta asked hopefully as his sword nearly slipped from his sweaty grasp.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The queen entered her private study, and threw a rather large vase at the wall, making the pieces shatter like rain on the tiles.

"How dare she?!" the silvery cat howled. "She was supposed to marry him _today_!"

Dang. She should have thought about putting a time limit on the engagement. Wait, she did! But there wasn't enough room on the edges of the scroll to add that little limit. She growled again, wishing she had used a longer scroll when she had written the engagement spell on it at her daughter's coronation as Cat Princess.

"She is every inch her father's daughter. So strong-willed!"

And unfortunately immune to her drugs. Natori came into the room, and coughed politely.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but this predicament might not be as bad as it looks."

She wheeled around fast in order to look at her favorite advisor with fury.

"Of course it is! She's allowing him to choose whether or not to marry her! For crying out loud, our line was cursed just because one of my ancestors allowed a human the same choice!"

"That may be historically correct, Your Majesty, but I noticed something while your daughter was negotiating her terms." He lifted his familiar clipboard up to his face to read the careful notes. "When Princess Haru threatened to destroy the royal reputation to keep the Baron away from the altar, his eyes became quite admiring towards her. And she freely admitted that he'd be an excellent mate for her." He folded the clipboard under one arm again.

"Let them have the year, my queen. I am certain that you will be a true grandmother for your efforts to bring them together."

"Are you sure, Natori?" the Cat Queen asked in a scared little girl voice. He smiled, once again resisting the urge to pat her head like she was still a small kitten.

"Have I ever led you astray, Himeko?"

"No, never."

"Then have faith. I've suspected for years that Princess Haru would be the one to break the curse. Her heart's too tender to carry on the family tradition of taking an unwilling mate, and she cares very deeply for everyone. All will be well. I promise."


	11. The New Accommodations

Extra

Chapter Eleven: The New Accommodations

Haru finished rubbing the last of the four doorknobs with her magic, while they were still attached to doors that were lined up like ducks.

"Okay; each of you pick a door, and turn the knob. Your ideal rooms should be on the other side."

Toto rubbed his hands together with glee as the four ex-humans lined up, and reached out in sync with each other.

"I can't wait to see what it looks like!" His family had never exactly been well-off, and only his natural skill with a sword had allowed him to attend college.

"I'm certain that the rooms will be satisfactory," Baron said carefully, not quite knowing what to expect.

The four touched the doorknobs, which made their names appear in gold at about eye level.

Toto opened his room, and nearly started jumping up and down with giddy happiness.

"Hello, indoor tree house! You rock, Haru!" He ran in like a child to a candy store; the door closing behind him. Muta snickered while opening his door, but the look faded to be replaced by one of awe.

"My very own kitchen," he said softly, walking through the door like he was in a dream he didn't want to wake up from. And it was. He had never been allowed his own place to cook as he pleased. "I'm going to have to make some angel food cake for you, Haru."

"I'll be looking forward to it," she giggled as the door shut softly behind him.

Next up was Hiromi, who turned the knob fast, to see what her room looked like. She squealed with delight, and glomped the princess around the neck.

"I've wanted a fairytale room just like that ever since I was a little girl! You are the best, do you hear me?! The _best_!"

"I hear you loud and clear," Haru said weakly, not quite sure how she was supposed to respond when a friend jumped on her like that. All the friends she had been allowed to have before her rebellious streak kicked in were proper ladies, daughters of nobles that wanted to maneuver closer to the crown's favor, and Hiromi had been too scared of her the first time to try touching the princess. But for someone to just jump on her like that, with zero ill intent… it was almost beyond her comprehension.

Hiromi jumped off of the princess, and ran through the door with a yell on her lips as the door shut behind her.

"Hello, beautiful bed!"

Haru bit back another giggle before turning to see what kind of room Baron would open. She still knew almost nothing about him, but was aware that his true room would reflect his personality, as it had with his friends.

With a rather curious look, Baron turned the knob, and slowly opened the door. His eyes glowed warmly.

"Perfect."

It looked like a regular room to Haru, maybe a library or study, from the tall bookshelves that lined all the walls, but it was cheerful, and inviting. It even had a gleaming silver teapot on a counter. Judging from the layout, it probably had backrooms for sleeping and such.

Her fiancé turned to her, and reached out for her hand to gently press it against his lips while bowing like a gentleman. An unexpected blush flooded her cheeks, although she was completely familiar with the gesture of respect.

"Thank you, Haru. Thank you for everything."

She nodded and smiled warmly. It was amazing that any of the humans had lasted this long without sleep. She had been partially scared that they were going to faint on her while she was threatening her mother, like she thought she herself might, from using so much magic in such a short time span. But the queen had fully deserved the aggravation, all things considered.

"No problem. Sweet dreams, Baron."

He smiled at her, and nodded his head before walking through his door.

"Sweet dreams, Haru."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Baron sighed happily, looking around his new place. It looked so much like his father's study, before that terrible accident made them sell their house to pay the hospital that couldn't save him. Then his mother-

He sighed, trying to combat the returning depression as he looked through the cupboard, pleased that it was filled to the brim with any sort of herbs that he could possibly want to try in his personal blend of tea. But there would be time enough for him to play later. Right now, sleep was calling his name, louder than he could even hope to possibly ignore.

Since he knew that his ideal space had been based off of his childhood home, he knew exactly what door in the back to open, how long to walk, and which door would lead him to a comfortable bed.

'_This is actually working out better than I thought it would,' _Baron thought to himself as he got ready for bed. _'Haru's the complete opposite of her arrogant mother. I can hardly tell that they're even related, and she's a very considerate girl. If Mother had any idea that this would happen, she probably wouldn't have named me 'Baron'.' _He chuckled, thinking about the concept of being addressed as 'Prince Baron'.

'_Perhaps marrying the Cat Princess won't be so bad a fate as previously thought.'_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru breathed a sigh of tired relief while entering her own space, and hanging her sword with the others in her collection.

'_I honestly thought that Mother would put up more of a fight than that. But at least this means I'm free from attending all of those stupid social events for a year.' _The crown princess giggled evilly as she walked up the stairs to her living quarters, since the bottom half of the room was reserved for practicing fighting or dancing. She wondered how her mother would react when she realized what she had done. The social events were always a big deal for the Cat Queen, but to be honest, the Cat Princess could live quite happily without them.

'_She'll probably blame Natori for not pointing that out at the agreement, and it was too public for her to take it back without taking risk to her image. Oh dear; Natori will probably be the one covering for me until I marry Baron. I hope he's as sharp as ever.'_

As the brunette slipped between the soft sheets of her bed, she thoughtfully traced the sewn lines on the quilt. As the finger traced a leaf, she thought about the way Baron's lips had felt on her hand. She blushed again, and giggled like a little girl.

'_Mother's methods may have been less than desirable, but… maybe this can work. I already have a better relationship with Baron than Mother ever did with Father.' _She gave a yawn, and then surrendered herself to peaceful slumber.

'_If the curse doesn't end with me, the royal line will; one way or another.'_


	12. The Getting Acquainted

Extra

Chapter Twelve: The Getting Acquainted

Baron was a little confused when he woke up again. For one, his window wasn't where it had been yesterday, now almost directly opposite of the foot of the bed instead of to his side. For the other, the room, although slightly familiar, wasn't his.

Then he remembered. He was now the royal fiancé of the Cat Princess. He groaned and sat up; looking around the room.

'_Of course. This is my new home.' _He sighed and slipped out of the large bed; making his way to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. Although a small part of him wanted to recoil from the steaming water, his human reasoning was still dominant. It was a strange experience to wash all of his fur instead of just his hair, but at least he never had to worry about shaving again.

After the third towel, in the attempt to dry himself off, he noticed a small box next to the sink.

'_Automatic blow-dryer?' _he read silently before picking up the box, and opening it. The room seemed to immediately be filled with a hot tornado that seemed to center on the orange and cream cat. After a minute or so, Baron was able to find the lid that he had dropped in surprise, and cover the box's opening once more. His fur was sticking up a little funny now, but it was completely dry. He attacked the ruffled fur with a nearby brush, feeling a little strange using the usually feminine item.

After he exited the bathroom, he made his way to the wardrobe, and opened it up. He fought back a laugh, thinking about his father again.

The wardrobe was filled with variations of suits and button ups, in varying colors. Baron even spied a few top hats on the highest rack. With a bit of amusement, he chose a light gray suit with a deep red vest, navy bowtie, and dark shoes. With a bit of wistfulness, he grabbed the matching top hat and placed it on his head. Holding a cane with one hand, he stepped in front of the body mirror.

If it wasn't for the obvious fact that he was a cat, he could have been his father. His heart ached a little, thinking of the tall man that haunted his dreams. He sighed, and made his way down the hall to fix a cup of tea.

As the newest batch began to boil, he suddenly thought of Haru. Did she like tea? It would certainly be a respectable gesture to give her some of his handmade blend, considering all the pains she had gone through for his and his friends' comfort. His eyes trailed to the line of doors covering one wall. Engraved on gold were the names of each of his friends, on separate doors, as well as one leading to the rest of the palace. He sighed, and wished for a door that would lead to Haru.

Strangely enough, the gold words on one door, reading 'Palace', suddenly melted and rearranged themselves to say 'Haru'.

"That's quite convenient," he murmured, placing a neat tea set on a silver platter before picking the platter up, and walking toward the door. He shifted the platter carefully to one hand and raised his other one to turn the knob, but then hesitated. What if it lead to her personal room, and she was still sleeping? It wouldn't be very proper for him to just walk in, even if there was a good chance that no one would find out that he did it.

Going with prudence, the tawny cat raised his had a little higher, and knocked three times.

"Who is it?" Haru's soft voice asked.

"It's me. Baron, that is," he added, in case she couldn't recognize his voice yet.

"Oh. Come in."

He opened the door slightly, and then back into it so he could keep the tea set steady with both hands. But when he turned around, he nearly dropped the tea platter in shock.

The feline princess was in a very flattering lavender dress. That in itself shouldn't have been surprising, considering her rank, but it was what the princess was doing that was disturbing the new feline so much.

She noted his shock with a bit of amusement, and placed a few more stitches into the taut cloth.

"Did you know that quilting's a very relaxing activity? It helps a lot whenever Mother does something particularly selfish. Like engage me to a stranger while I'm out of town."

Baron chuckled a little, and set the platter on a nearby table.

"My apologies; it was just a little strange to see you behind a quilting frame after seeing you in a military uniform."

She giggled a little while accepting the teacup he offered her.

"I guess that would be pretty confusing to someone that wasn't used to it. Did you rest well?"

"I feel like a new man. Or cat, I suppose," he finished a little wryly, taking a cup for himself. Haru laughed at the little joke, and took a sip of the offered tea. She swished it around in her mouth, like a professional wine taster. Her eyes widened with a little bit of shock.

"Hey… this is really good. I've never tried this kind before."

"It's my personal blend," Baron offered, taking a sip himself. "It's a little different each time, so I can never guarantee the taste."

"That's pretty cool," the brunette said, shifting her chair around as her fiancé helped himself to a high backed chair nearby. She took another sip.

"As long as you're here, could you tell me about yourself?"

He had wanted to ask her the same question, but since she had beaten him to the punch, he had to concede.

"Well, I'm an England native, if you couldn't tell from my accent. My father was a well-respected doctor that died in a car accident when I was ten. After that, my mother and I moved to the countryside. She worked as a laundress and maid, somehow managing to pay for me to take fencing lessons, so I could still feel close to my father. He was quite exceptional in the sport. After a year or so when I was eleven, I was scouted, and got a scholarship to an elite fencing academy. I didn't want to leave Mother, but she insisted that I went, so I could make a name for myself. About three years ago, she was hit by a speeding truck, the day after I graduated from the academy."

Haru's mouth opened in shock, and her eyes went sad and understanding.

'_That must have been why he saved me.'_

"After that, I got multiple offers from colleges, but I think I chose the one in Tokyo because I wanted a fresh start on life." He chuckled a little ironically. "This wasn't what I had in mind, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore."

"But if you were on a scholarship, how could you afford to live in your own house? In _Tokyo _of all places?" the princess asked.

"It was a very generous scholarship, I assure you. The colleges were quite competitive, with offering me benefits."

She giggled a little.

"No wonder you could demolish the guards so completely. Well, what were you studying?" the brunette asked.

"The human body. I wanted to be a doctor."

"I see. You could still be one, you know."

He cocked his head at her.

"I thought my future with you was decided."

"It is, but just because you'd be my prince consort doesn't mean that you couldn't be a doctor. My father wasn't expected to do anything, and Mother just poured more drugs into him whenever he tried to do something useful. It'd be nice for you to actually do something with your time, especially if you still want to be a doctor. The techniques here are different than in the Human Kingdom, but the principle is the same." She suddenly smacked herself in the head, like she wasn't a princess.

"I forgot to ask you earlier; did you already have a sweetheart?"

The tawny half-cat's heart threatened to shut down again, thinking about Louise.

"Actually, I had just gotten out of a rather difficult relationship."

"How difficult?" Haru asked; concern evident on her fair features.

"The girl in question was using me to get back at her long-term fiancé for some small slight. It was three months before I found out the truth."

The princess started growling while her eyes became riddled with lightning.

"What a classless thing to do."

This guy definitely deserved someone better than a witch like that. But at least he wouldn't have that far-off lost look that had constantly been on her father's face.

"Yes. If I still had someone, you could be certain that I would still be putting up a fight. Just out of curiosity, did _you _have anyone?"

The slim brunette lost some of her anger, and laughed sadly.

"No. I've kind of been dragging my feet about finding a mate, since I didn't want to hurt a guy the way my ancestors have been doing for several millennia. But my mother was still out of line for engaging me to the first human male that showed me kindness, though."

Baron nodded, and remembered the strange fight she had shared with the queen.

"Could you please tell me about yourself? What is this curse that you and your mother keep talking about?"

"Uh, one thing first." The princess snapped her fingers, making the door open again. All three of her betrothed's friends fell onto the floor, like they had pressed themselves against the door. If it weren't for the guilty faces, Baron might have been able to believe that Haru had just brought them here.

"Too bad I'm not shocked," the tawny one said, taking another sip of tea. The brunette laughed again as the three picked themselves off the floor.

"Why don't you three take a seat? I don't mind telling why all of you were really brought here."


	13. The Curse

Extra

Chapter Thirteen: The Curse

In order to accommodate the new bodies, a large couch rose from the floor. Muta sighed happily while sinking into it; the lovebirds doing the same.

"So, what are you trying to say? That there's a reason for you two being engaged besides the fact that your mother's a manipulative snake?" Muta asked.

"Exactly," the princess said while calmly sipping her tea, apparently not taking offense at all.

"Hey, aren't you going to defend her?" Toto asked, squeezing Hiromi with one arm. "She _is _your mom and everything."

"Yes, but I'll start defending her only when someone says something false about her. She's done much worse things than you four are aware of." The brunette sighed.

"The trouble started five thousand years ago, when all humans knew of the Cat Kingdom, and commerce freely traveled between the two worlds. Things were just fine until a human witch and my ancestor, the Cat Queen of the time, fell in love with the same human man. The human witch tried to use potions to gain his affections, while my ancestor used her power to allow him to keep his reasoning. He was touched that the Cat Queen cared about his opinion, and chose her.

"The human witch was furious, since she was certain that my ancestor had used a superior magic to hers to gain the one she wanted. So the witch used all of her power to curse the royal line. We all have to take human mates, or we won't be able to produce heirs. If we adopt, the child in question also has to be a human, or the ritual magic won't stick. After that, the witch broke down the bridges between our worlds with her dying breath, so that humans would be less willing to marry into the Cat Kingdom, with limited knowledge about its continued existence."

Baron nodded, although his eyes were troubled.

"That's why your mother kept your father intoxicated?"

"Yes, unfortunately. The only time he was able to break free from her control, he killed himself, just to get away from her."

"What?!" Hiromi shouted. "But what about you?! Didn't he care about you?!"

Haru sighed sadly.

"I'll never know. He never even called me by my real name, so he might not have been fully aware that I was his daughter. He even had a sweetheart when Mother carried him away, if what I've gathered is correct." She looked at Baron again, mentally preparing herself from the threatening depression. "That's why I'm insisting on getting your personal consent, considering our circumstances. I don't want you to end up being so unhappy that you kill yourself like my father did. Or like many of my ancestors ended up doing. Someone has to break the cycle."

"Well, your mother was talking about a way to end the curse," Baron said carefully. "What needs to be done?"

Haru laughed a little harshly.

"For a human to choose to marry a member of my family _of their own free will_. So you can just guess how many of my ancestors tried before resorting to kidnapping and drugs to keep mates in line."

Toto leaned his head on Hiromi's shoulder, and rubbed it affectionately.

"So, you're out to break the curse?"

"Yes. Enough people have been broken _over it_." The princess shook her head to combat the depression again. "So, has everyone thought of what to tell their loved ones, if anything?"

Muta snorted indelicately.

"I doubt my old man will even notice I'm gone. He doesn't even notice when I'm around."

Toto sighed.

"My uncle would notice; can I give him and my landlady a note saying that I'm moving somewhere new?"

Haru nodded, and looked at Hiromi, who looked like she was about to cry.

"I don't know what I can say to my parents. I don't want to hurt them, but I don't want to lie either."

The princess took a deep breath.

"There are a few options in this. I can send them a dream message from you, you could write them that you got a job offer that you couldn't refuse, or I could erase their memories of you, or at least the heartache."

Hiromi shuddered at her options.

"I think I'll go with the dream message. I wouldn't be able to keep up a false life, even through letters."

The brunette nodded, and checked the teleball that was clipped to the bejeweled belt on her waist.

"It's 6:00 in the evening in the Human Kingdom, at least in Japan. We'll do it after they go to sleep, okay?"

Hiromi nodded miserably. Haru looked at her fiancé.

"And you?"

The tawny cat sighed a little sadly.

"About the only one I can think to contact is the fencing coach. He deserves to know that we're not coming back, I think."

Haru nodded again, and took a deep breath.

"I know this might not be the best time to say this, but I hope all of you will find happiness here. The Cat Kingdom isn't so bad a place to live." She stood up, and brushed the loose threads from her dress. "Would you like me to show you around?"

Muta grunted.

"Sure, why not? How big is this place, anyway?"

The princess laughed as her companions rose to their feet.

"I'm not sure what to compare it to, from your world, but let me put it this way; Even if one traveled by crow, it would take several months, maybe even a year or more, to go from one end of my kingdom to the other."

"Wait, you can travel by crow?! You have crows here?!" Toto asked excitedly like a little boy. The princess looked over at him and grinned.

"I guess our first stop is the royal stables."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A sparkling white crow left off cleaning her wing with her beak to look downward from her perch, as the curtain flew open. Her gleaming blue eyes shimmered happily at seeing the visitors.

"Haru!" The albino crow leapt off her perch, and sailed gracefully down the center of the tower, which was several stories tall. With one swift motion, the lady bird landed on her talons and wrapped both of her gleaming arms around the princess, who in turn wrapped her arms around the white crow's neck. The cat-girl's companions stared in shock at her impressive stature.

"You haven't visited me in days!" the bird pouted.

"I'm sorry, Snow. But at least I don't have any duties to worry about for about a year."

"Really? How did you manage that?"

"I'll tell you later."

The black cat was nearly jumping up and down in his excitement.

"This is just too cool! Can I touch you?"

The white crow looked up at her owner's companions, which were not familiar to her. But, she gave a nod, releasing the princess so that the tomcat could softly touch her gleaming wing feathers. His hand trembled slightly, like he was scared that she was just a dream.

"Who are your friends, Highness?" Snow asked politely. The brunette grinned evilly.

"They're about to become my apprentices." She turned to the other four cats, getting the fatter one to step back in fear from her evil smile.

"Tell me; how many of you hate heights or sports?"


	14. The Cat Queen's Chagrin

Extra

Chapter Fourteen: The Cat Queen's Chagrin

The Cat Queen happily stacked her papers together, and tucked them under one arm.

'_Wait 'till she sees __**this**__!' _ The silvery cat ran down the hall to her daughter's door, and burst in as usual.

"Haru-" the queen stopped, and looked around the room. It was deserted. Looking up at the ceiling, she ran for the staircase that spiraled around the room to lead to the private section. The little fact that intruders would have to climb the stairs was probably why the princess didn't mind it when her mother burst in. The slivery cat managed to make it to the top, gasping slightly. But this area was deserted as well.

About the only thing that looked different than usual was the tea platter that was close to the quilting frame. The queen slowly made her way to the wooden contraption; her eyes glittering dangerously.

'_Why does she persist with this lowly peasant hobby?' _She shuddered again, remembering how her husband used to pull a chair up next to their daughter's, and start quilting with her, when his medicine didn't quite work the way it should. Men should never touch a _needle_, of all things. Unless they were doctors or something. With one slim finger, the queen traced the handle of the silver teapot, which she knew for a fact wasn't her daughter's, since the girl preferred porcelain for some reason. The queen reached down and touched her teleball.

"Haru, where are you?"

"Outside-agh! Playing!" the teleball answered with her daughter's voice, which seemed to be accented with the wind and something hitting her body. The queen laughed.

"Wingball again, Sweetheart?"

"Yes-ouch! Time out, guys! Okay, was there something you needed to tell me?"

"Yes, dear! I just finished making preparations for your engagement ball!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Haru groaned. "Mother; no balls, and no parties. Just let me spend time with the guy before you fly off the handle again, okay?"

"But sweetheart! Everyone's been looking forward to the day when you chose a mate!"

"I didn't choose a mate; you did for me. Everyone will just have to wait until Baron and I are comfortable with the idea of marrying each other."

"But it's your duty to-"

"You grounded me from ALL royal duties until I'm wed, remember?"

The teleball went black before the queen could counter, but then again, the queen had nothing to say for once.

'_What… have I done?!' _she thought with horror.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru let the teleball slide down its chain again as it turned black once more.

"Time in!" she called out, going into a spiral dive on her beloved Snow, holding a green ball with one arm. Toto came in on one side, and swept underneath to throw Snow off-balance in the air, but she was more experienced than the younger crow that the black cat was riding. Seeing Hiromi dive for her other side, the princess threw the green ball with all her strength to the orange and cream cat, who caught it with ease.

"Thanks!" Baron called back to her while heading towards Toto and Hiromi's goal. The black cat managed to break away to pursue his friend, but the peach-colored one was a little distracted by the white crow that kept circling her in the air.

The tawny cat managed a good throw towards the nest before his dark friend intentionally ran into him, and managed to make a perfect shot in.

"Nice one, Baron!" Muta shouted, writing in his little notepad, since he had no love for heights. "The score is now 10 to 3 in Haru and Baron's favor!"

Toto groaned, and urged his mount to the ground.

"Can we just end the game? Juma's not feeling too good."

The crow underneath him cawed her tired agreement, and softly landed on the cool grass. Hiromi and Haru also sailed down as Baron came to a stop; also feeling how his mount was quivering with exhaustion. And he wasn't about to deny his own weariness. If cats had sweat glands, he would probably be soaked by now.

"That's a fun game, Haru, but a little physically demanding," the royal fiancé managed to say, panting a bit. The Cat Princess giggled a little while hopping off Snow, who surprisingly looked ready and rearing to go for round two.

"I know, but it's fun while it lasts." Haru also looked like she was ready for another round, although Toto and Hiromi just collapsed into tired piles on the soft grass. Baron had to smile a bit, realizing that years of playing must have built her up against exhaustion. Without warning, he started laughing his head off.

"Is something amusing you, Baron?" the princess asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. So strange, that she was the only one in the group that had them. He covered his mouth with one hand.

"Many apologies, but it's a little strange to think that you can face down queens, guards, and speeding crows without difficulty, but you get stumped by an oncoming truck."

The slim brunette turned a beet red, and looked down at her feet like a naughty child.

"I haven't exactly had a lot of experience with human vehicles, so it shouldn't be surprising. If I had known that I was going to lose the stupid crackers anyway, I would have just left them like I should have."

He laughed again.

"Those crackers are at my house, actually. I don't understand; you seem to have more sense than to risk your life for such a trifle."

The princess's blush deepened to a magenta, and drew her legs in for a fetal position; wrapping her arms around them for comfort.

"You'll laugh, if I try to explain," she mumbled miserably. Muta grinned evilly, and leaned forward.

"Try us. Why was the box so important?"

Haru started fidgeting nervously.

"I'm… friends with one of the servants in the palace. She likes to talk about how a human saved her life with those fish crackers when she was a starving kitten. Yuki wouldn't stop talking about the taste of them for _years_, so I got curious, and wanted to taste them myself." She snuck a glare at the fat cat, almost challenging him to start laughing. He didn't.

But Toto did.

"You've got to be kidding! We're cats because you wanted a snack?!" Hiromi shouted, making the crows fly back to their roost to avoid the fight. But Snow stayed by her beloved mistress; her sky-blue eyes challenging the cats to try hurting the princess while the albino crow was around to protect her. Haru tightened into a smaller ball, and fought back tears of humiliation.

"If I had known Mother was watching, I wouldn't have…" she cut off from trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, okay?! It was stupid and selfish of me, and I already swore to make up for everything-"

Two of Baron's fingers were now over her mouth, his eyes stormy.

"Haru, it doesn't matter. It's no one's fault but your mother's for what's happened, so there's no point in beating yourself up about this. I know _I've_ done some pretty dumb things, when I wanted a snack. One time I broke my mother's favorite cookie jar getting a snicker doodle, and tried to hide the fact from her." He looked over at his friends; a silent command in his gaze. "I'm certain that all of us have done similar dumb things."

Hiromi gulped uncomfortably.

"One time I ate an entire bag of candy by myself, when it was for my family. I spent a week recovering from that."

Toto's mirth had softened considerably.

"I used to eat bugs and worms as a boy. I was convinced that I was supposed to be a bird. What's even funnier; if your crackers were the kind in a little yellow box with a red ribbon, you could have just come to my landlady! She always has a few boxes on hand, and she doesn't mind sharing."

Haru's shoulders fell over a bit.

"_Now_ you tell me. Is she a redhead?"

"Yep."

"Then she's probably the same human that saved Yuki, if she's middle-aged about now."

Toto nodded as Snow smiled a little sadly at the revelation, and pointedly looked at the creamy cat, who humphed a little disdainfully. He sat back and patted his _very_ ample stomach.

"Enough said," he grunted, smiling softly for the princess. Toto started laughing again.

"Plenty said. One time, I saw him eat ten hamburgers in one sitting!"

"It was an eating contest, okay?!"

"One that you won!"

"Come on, that truck driver didn't stand a chance!"

Haru started laughing as the infamous duo started another fight, rolling over the long grass, trying to wrestle each other into submission. She looked over at her fiancé again, and smiled.

"Thanks, Baron. Um, can I assume that a snicker doodle is a cookie?"

The tawny cat stared at her with shock.

"Muta! I don't think she's ever had a snicker doodle!"

The fat cat looked up with shock, allowing an easy punch in.

"Quick! To my kitchen!"

"Is it _that _important?" Haru asked as her fiancé literally picked her up and started running for the castle. He nodded gravely as his friends ran just behind him.

'_I think I __**prefer **__holding her at this height. She fits into my arms much better now.'_


	15. The Manipulative Monarch

Extra

Chapter Fifteen: The Manipulative Monarch

The Cat Queen slipped into the kitchen, and whistled sharply. An elderly cat hobbled up to her, and bowed respectfully.

"What can I do for you, Your Majesty?"

The silvery cat handed the gray one a small purple vial, which was heart-shaped.

"If you could slip this into the royal fiancé's soup tonight, I'll double your salary."

Black eyes lit up with mirth.

"Is it that newer potion you've been working on?"

"But of course. He's taking far too long on his decision."

The chief cook bowed, and slipped the vial into her apron.

"Consider it done, Majesty." The gray cat started laughing again. "You wouldn't believe how many servants are talking about this strange _courtship_. They can't believe that Baron actually needs time to choose to marry the princess."

In fact, many of the male servants had made it clear that if they were in the good lord's well-polished shoes, a marriage would have happened immediately. The queen grimaced, wishing that a year had passed instead of merely three months.

"Believe you me; they aren't the only ones. But this little beauty should help things along nicely."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Baron had one eye on his dinner, and the other on the book between him and his betrothed. One of her well-formed fingers was tracing the lines on the picture.

"… so then it kind of flows through the body, so you can see exactly where the blood isn't flowing right, or happens to be tainted."

The tawny lord nodded, and took another polite sip of his lemon and fish soup.

'_I really wish that people here besides Haru and Muta would start making things that had nothing to do with meat.' _

It was still a strange concept for him, that the princess of felines was a huge fan of salads. But for now, she was putting up with the same soup that he was, taking a polite sip herself. He smiled softly, glad that the elite academy had drilled him on finer manners as well as swordplay. He hardly even had to learn anything new, when Natori tried to come at him with protocol books.

In fact, there were a few areas that he surpassed the princess in. Namely dancing, and swordplay. Good thing she had such a sweet disposition about not being the best in everything.

He smiled warmly at the girl.

"Well, what about muscle tissue?"

"That powder's a little harder to make, but not impossible." She started flipping through a few pages, sneaking another sip of soup while he did the same. The tiny amulet at his throat, covered by his always-present bowtie, seemed to flare hotter and hotter with every mouthful he took. Then, it just became painful. He put down his spoon in defeat.

"I'm sorry; I think this soup's too hot for me."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, but didn't say more, save for the things in the book. Her mother, on the other hand, looked like she was about ready to burn a fuse. Come to think of it, she had been paying more attention to him than usual, at this meal. Even Muta could see it, and he usually paid attention to nothing but what was set in front of him during meals.

"What about a diseased mind?" he asked. Haru rolled her eyes.

"Sorry; it's touch and go in that area. Most of the doctors that try to go into that field usually end up hurting their patients more than helping them."

Finally, the queen just slammed down her goblet, stood up, and then stormed out of the room in a huff. Baron watched her leave, completely perplexed.

"Did she take that personally?"

Haru looked at him, and then at his soup bowl. A light giggle escaped her lips.

"You're still wearing the amulet, right?"

"I never take it off."

"Good." The princess started giggling again; her mismatched eyes alive with untold mirth.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Cat Queen stormed into her private study, and threw another vase against the wall, making the fired clay shatter into a thousand pieces.

'_When did she give him an amulet against drugs?! This isn't fair!' _The silvery cat started pacing her little room as her blood rose to a dangerous temperature. _'Why does Haru keep cheating like this?! I'm not getting any younger, and I want a grandkitten!' _Wasn't it due to her that the princess was now assured a life with a handsome mate? One handsome enough to make the queen wish that she was a little younger? Why on earth was the girl trying so hard to delay that future by any means necessary?

The queen sighed, assuming that her stubborn streak came directly from the other side of the family. Human blood had been known to turn a few royals mad.

With aching legs, the silvery cat collapsed onto her couch, staring up at the ceiling.

'_Okay; she's clearly attracted to him, and he's just as clearly attracted to her. They care about each other; that much is certain. Maybe…' _

The queen grinned, and sat up from her place. She reached over, and turned one arm of the candelabra down, making her bookcase ease away from the wall like a door. The silvery cat started cackling with glee as she swung the bookcase open and closed while stepping through it. She ran up the long staircase, to her little laboratory.

'_I've been going at this all wrong. Of course she would surround him, and maybe his companions, with protective magic. I taught her well.'_

Using the little key strapped to her slender neck, the queen opened the door, and closed it behind her. She turned to see her glorious collection of powders and potion supplies. Like a child in a candy store, she started collecting multicolored bottles, and setting them on a cleared-off counter space. She opened one of her books, and began following the directions exactly. Her earlier accident with Haru's father, when they were first married, had taught her to be extremely careful about her movements in the laboratory.

She held her breath while adding the last ingredient to the mix; which was lethal unless in perfectly controlled doses. The bowl turned an ominous black, and began to give off dark clouds as the queen rushed to mix it before the spoon began to tremble; threatening to disintegrate.

'_Many things have changed about my daughter, ever since her father died.' _The Cat Queen set aside the spoon, and drew a fancy goblet close, as well as an eyedropper. _'But this I know will always be true; that she loves me.'_

Very carefully, she poured into the goblet a measure of plain water, and then used the eyedropper to suck up a bit of the smoky concoction. She eased the instrument over the goblet, and began counting drops as they fell into the goblet.

"One, two, three, four-"

"Bonzai!" someone shrieked outside her window. The queen looked up in irritation, seeing that it was the black friend of her daughter's betrothed, being undignified about flying again. Honestly, was he still a kitten?

She sighed, and put the last two drops into the goblet. Setting the eyedropper aside, she raised the goblet to the heavens.

"To gaining what I've earned."

A married daughter, and a purring grandkitten.

She lowered the goblet to her lips, and swallowed it to the last drop, although it burned her throat.

If she had paid more attention to the eyedropper, the Cat Queen would have realized that she had accidentally put more of the concoction into the goblet when Toto had startled her.

Which in turn meant a completely different outcome than the one her heart was set on.


	16. The Revelation

Extra

Chapter Sixteen: The Revelation

Haru jumped to one side, avoiding Baron's blade as it whistled through the air. She brought her own sword up to catch it, making sparks fly.

And it wasn't just the ones from the scraping metal.

Her betrothed smiled warmly at her, almost teasingly as he increased the pressure of his sword on her. She twirled around, and brought her blade down on his back, with the broad side down, so he wouldn't get cut up.

"Looks like you're half the man you were."

He turned around to attack her again.

"Not quite yet, I'm not."

Through the second round, the two could hear a sizable crowd cheering them on. Baron's friends were always there to support them, and from what he gathered from the present guards, they were grateful that the princess had found a sparring partner that could keep up with her. And weren't about to waste an opportunity to watch the two go at it.

Haru had the upper hand this time, driving her sword down on Baron's. But, he was smiling at her again, and allowed her to drive his sword down a bit unexpectedly, making her almost fall against him.

The royal fiancé used the window of opportunity to soundly kiss the girl, since their faces were so close and everything. The princess turned a deep magenta as she unconsciously let go of her weapon in complete and utter shock.

The guards and friends gasped, since the tawny lord had never made a move like this before. Baron dropped his own weapon, and wrapped his supposed opponent up in his arms to continue kissing her. Slowly, Haru closed her eyes, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him back softly; her fur standing on end as shivers ran through her body like water ripples.

'_Hot dang! We should have tried this earlier!'_

Baron clearly felt the same way, with how hard he was squeezing her. Distantly, it felt like someone was cheering them on, but it was like they were in another world completely, all alone with each other.

The very thought made her start purring.

"Quick, I need to get to…" Natori's voice trailed off, but even in her state of ecstasy, the princess couldn't mistake the panic in the old tom's voice.

With much reluctance, Haru broke the kiss off, and looked over to where she was certain that he was. The gray cat was staring at her, almost like the time he had first caught her playing with a sword.

With absolute shock. And yet, there was fear in his eyes as well. So much fear…

The cheering seemed to be coming from a much closer range, as well as a few boos for a too short show.

"Yes, Natori?" the princess asked stiffly, wondering what was so important that it had to interrupt her when she was with Baron (especially when things were going so well in her favor). The robed cat blinked, and then coughed again.

"Many apologies, Highness, but your mother has requested your immediate presence. Her illness has taken a turn for the worse."

Haru sighed, and looked up at her affianced.

"I better go then."

He nodded gravely, and slowly released her.

'_Drat. Figures that the Cat Queen would interfere __**now**__ of all times.'_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The silvery cat struggled to breathe, wondering why she was feeling so bad. Sure, her little potion was supposed to make her sick, but not this much! She tried to hold her blankets closer, but she was too weak to pull on them. A few tears of frustration squeezed past her guard.

Suddenly, the blankets were pulled up to her chin by warm hands. Ones that the queen knew well.

"Haru," she weakly mewed as the warm hand felt her brow.

"Mother; you're so _cold_. Should I send for more blankets?"

"No, no child. Please; lie beside me. You're so warm."

Like she was still a kitten, the Cat Princess eased herself onto the luxurious bed, and eased in close with her mother.

"I don't understand, Mother; you've always been so healthy."

The silvery queen laughed, although the action gave away to coughing.

"Everyone has their bad days, child."

"But you've had four months of them," the girl pointed out.

"I know, I know. I should have gotten better at one month."

"Don't worry; you've pulled through worse before."

"Not this time, I'm afraid. Haru; there are a few things I need to tell you."

The princess quirked an eyebrow as she wrapped one arm around her frozen mother.

"What kind of things, Mother?"

Without warning, the queen broke down crying.

"Haru, oh my Haru… I've been such an idiot. Now thanks to my stupid pride, I'm going to lose everything I've ever loved."

"Of course you won't lose everything; you still have me," the brown feline offered.

"Yes, I have you. But I never deserved you." The queen took a harsh breath. "Listen well, dear heart; remember when I first got sick, and you accused me of using a potion to try to hasten a royal wedding?"

The girl nodded gravely.

"I was correct, wasn't I?"

"You were, Haru. But, I got the potion wrong when I made my dosage. I know exactly where I went wrong, and I guess I deserved it. All this time as an infirm has given me a new perspective on things. Haru… I'm dying."

"No you-"

"Yes I am, Haru. I overdosed on a dangerous potion, and will die soon. Traditionally, that would leave you queen, but I made a royal proclamation about you not returning to your duties until you're wed. No, don't close your ears just yet to me. This is about so much more than continuing the royal line."

Haru held her mother's clammy hand as it poked through the sheet.

"Than what is this about, Mother?"

The Cat Queen started to cry again, although it hurt her to do so.

"This is about you, my dear girl. Haru… Haru… I made some terrible choices, when I married your father. First of all, there was the usual 'I don't want to marry you' business, and then there was the other love-" she began choking. "Natori knows everything, but he's right. I should tell you the entire story of your birth, rather than allow you to find out after I'm dead." She made a gasp for air.

"Love… I made a mistake with the potions back then, too. On your father's first drug dosage, I messed up terribly. The spell that was supposed to bind him to me for life did just that, but it also made him sterile. He couldn't father any children on me, and I tried for several months before figuring out what was wrong."

Haru's breath caught in her throat.

"But, if he couldn't have…"

"There's more, child. He already had a human wife, when I took him from his world. A wife that was expecting a beautiful child of her own…"


	17. Haru's Sorrow

Extra

Chapter Seventeen: Haru's Sorrow

An unearthly shriek suddenly rang out from the palace, making everyone within a five-mile radius of the place look towards it.

Baron and Muta froze in their duel, knowing the sound of Haru's voice. But, the level of sorrow was one he had never heard from her, even when she spoke of her father. Without thinking twice, the royal fiancé dropped his sword and ran for the palace. Natori, on the other hand, was cowering between two huge guards.

Although the old advisor was completely aware that they wouldn't be enough, if the crown princess decided to come after him.

Baron had no idea where within the palace the screams had come from, since his large and well-formed ears were still ringing painfully. But, trusting his instincts, he made his way to an unfamiliar corner of the palace, one that he knew the Cat Queen resided in.

All he had to see were the cowering doctors outside one set of double doors, and he stormed through; ignoring their protests.

The doors opened up to a large and fancy bedroom; one easily fit for a queen. Right next to the large canopied bed was a crumpled form, which was weeping uncontrollably into her arms.

"I said go away," she hissed angrily as he approached her anyway; her sorrow hitting him like a never-ending tidal wave.

"No, Haru." He sat down right next to her, and wrapped the girl up in his strong arms. The last thing he knew she needed right now was to be left alone; whatever it was that was hurting her so.

"What's wrong?"

She clung to him like a scared kitten, forever weeping into his shoulder.

"It was all a lie," she cried. "The one thing I thought I could always depend on was the biggest mockery of my life! How could she?! How could she keep this from me until now?!"

Baron looked up at the bed, to see what looked like a sleeping queen. But no; being a doctor-in-training, he could tell that the silvery she-cat was dead, from whatever illness had been plaguing her for months.

"What did she keep from you, Haru? You know you can tell me."

She squeezed him harder, and began whispering so softly that he had a little trouble understanding her.

"I was an adoption, Baron. My father _was_ my father, but my mother is a human. I was conceived long before the Cat Queen saw Father. He was married, but she still took him… and then me, when she messed up and he couldn't give her an heir. She stole my mother's family from her without a care!"

Baron's mouth fell open in astonishment. For moments, his mind was completely numb with shock. But he kept holding the princess close to him; allowing her tears to soak through his shirt and jacket. He kept rubbing her back, in a strange attempt to soothe her.

"I guess this explains why I could never see a true resemblance between you and her."

She nodded, choking back another sob.

"And why I look so much like a human. And my salad obsession. And everything else. I should have seen the truth years ago."

He nodded, still rubbing her back and squeezing her comfortingly, even kissing her soft and velvety ear.

"Haru, I love you no matter whose daughter you are. That's something that will never change. Everything will be okay; I promise."

She nodded, but then stiffened a little before looking into his eyes; completely defenseless against him.

"You… love me?"

He nodded, and kissed her soft lips once more as Natori ran up, gasping terribly as Muta, Toto, and Hiromi beat him into the room.

"What happened?!" Muta demanded as Baron broke off the kiss, and helped the princess to her feet. The modest declaration of love seemed to have brought a measure of comfort to the girl, and she was taking deep breaths to steady herself. Still, it was her fiancé that answered the question.

"It appears that Haru is an adoption to the royal family, and wasn't told before today. Funny, how you couldn't mention this to her, Natori."

The gray cat sweated.

"Himeko threatened to behead anyone that told Princess Haru the truth about her heritage. You should be thanking me; it took five weeks to convince the queen to tell her daughter the truth."

Haru nodded numbly, leaning on her beloved for some much-needed support.

"What was her name, Natori?"

The robed cat cocked his head in confusion.

"Highness?"

"My birth mother. What was her name?"

The gray cat blinked, and then sighed.

"It's Naoko Yoshioka."

Toto shot off his feet like he had been electrocuted.

"No freaking way!" Without provocation, he marched up to the Cat Princess, and took her face between his two hands. If the situation weren't so grave, Baron would have suspected that Toto was making a move on his fiancé as the black cat looked deep into the brunette's mismatched eyes.

"_Shoot_! I should have seen the resemblance sooner! Your brown eye is just like hers." He squinted at her, and tilted his head a bit. "I bet if you were a human, you'd look just like her too, except she's a redhead." He turned away from the princess, and started hitting himself against a nearby wall.

"Stupid! Stupid! She even _told _me that she had a missing daughter named Haru! They're both quilters and salad lovers, too; how could I have missed all the hints until now?!"

"Hey! Only _I_ get to hit you, Birdbrain!" Muta protested as the black cat continued to beat himself up.

Haru stared at him numbly, but then her mismatched eyes trailed over to the woman that she had revered and revolted against for so many years. With a shaky hand, she leaned over the massive bed and removed the purple gem that was hers by right.

"Toto, can you take me to her? I can make a spell that will turn us into humans for a short span of time."

The black cat nodded as Baron grabbed her hand.

"There is no way you're leaving me out of this, Haru."

"Or me!" Hiromi nearly shouted. Muta grunted.

"You better let me come, too. You need the support, Chicky."

The princess looked at her four true friends, and nearly started crying again. But this time, it was from relief, and happiness. She had never fully realized how much she wanted friends that would disobey her until these characters entered her life.

"We'll be back later, Natori. Probably not for a couple hours."

The gray cat nodded, and lowered his arms; obviously glad that the princess wouldn't be taking her rage out on him.

"I can hold down the fort for a while, but don't forget about Himeko's proclamation. You can't rule without a husband."

Baron wrapped one arm defensively around his princess.

"We'll deal with that detail later. Don't worry Haru; I've met Mrs. Yoshioka. You'll love her."

The crown princess bit her lip fearfully, but nodded up at him while squeezing the gem with her other hand, making a portal to their home world.


	18. The Reunion

Extra

Chapter Eighteen: The Reunion

Naoko shifted around in her sleep as her doorbell started ringing. But, whoever was ringing it wasn't leaving it at just one time. The redhead groaned, stealing a look at the glowing clock on her bedside table after putting her small eyeglasses on.

"It's three in the morning," she grumbled, slipping on a pair of slippers and her favorite bathrobe. Whoever this intruder was or whatever they wanted, it had better be good.

"Coming!" she called down the stairs while running down them. Making sure that she was completely covered, she unlocked a few of the locks on her door, and opened it a crack.

Toto was there, panting heavily.

"Mrs. Yoshioka-"

The boy didn't have time to say anything else, because the woman had slammed the door in his face in order to finish unlocking her door. Now freed from the constraints, she threw the door open as far as it would go, and wrapped the young man in a warm hug.

"You scared me to death! From your note, I thought I'd never see you again, dear boy."

"I thought so too, Mrs. Yoshioka. But, I found something that belongs to you."

She released him, now noticing that his three best friends were just behind him. Her heart felt as light as a feather, seeing the sweet children again. She grinned at them, and stood aside so that they could enter her home.

"Oh? What did you find, Toto?"

He gulped nervously, and looked at Muta.

"Please come out, Haru."

Naoko's heart seemed to freeze, hearing that precious name.

Could it be?

A young woman hesitantly stepped out from behind the large brunette, and looked up at the woman with a trace of fear. The slim brunette smiled a little nervously, looking the woman over.

"Hello."

Naoko's breath seemed to slow down, almost cutting off oxygen entirely. With shaky steps, the middle-aged woman came forward, just enough to cup the girl's soft cheek with one hand.

She knew that face, for it was her own, when she was a young lady herself. But the chocolate locks were just like her dear husband's, who had been gone for so long. The young woman had grown up to look exactly like Naoko had thought she would.

Afraid that this was yet another dream, the woman slowly wrapped her arms around the girl, like moving too fast would wake her up, and shatter the precious illusion.

Except the girl was solid, and warm. Naoko could smell fresh tears on the girl, but they could have easily been her own, as she ran her hand through the brunette's soft locks.

"_Haru,_" the woman whispered, her voice full of tears. "My beautiful little girl; you've come back."

This was no dream: her daughter was really here, and hugging her back!

She had dreamed of this moment for years, praying that there would be a way for it to happen. The young woman began crying too, clinging to the woman like a lifeline.

"_Mom_. Oh man; that felt good to say!"

"Feels better to hear it," the woman wept, almost dragging the girl into her home, where the others were waiting for them patiently.

Naoko wasn't quite sure how long it took, for Haru to explain what happened to her and her father after they had disappeared from the redhead's life. There were many parts that the woman would have laughed or just scoffed at, if she had been told at any other time.

But the look on her precious daughter's face made it completely clear that she wasn't joking, as well as how grave the other people were being. Naoko hadn't allowed the girl her own spot on the worn couch, preferring to hold her daughter close on her lap; still scared that she would disappear if the woman took her eyes off of her for a second.

"So, you'll have to go back? All of you?"

The kids nodded firmly, although there were varying degrees of enthusiasm. Naoko rubbed her face into her daughter's hair, savoring the scent of it.

"In that case, take me with you."

The brunette looked up, a little surprised that the woman was making so hasty a decision.

"Mom, are you sure?"

The woman nodded, managing a smile through her tears of joy and sorrow.

"I've already lost too many years with you. I don't give a care if you're the new Cat Queen or got abducted by aliens; I'm _not _letting you out of my life again."

Haru giggled warmly, and hugged her mother again.

"It's a beautiful place too, Mom. You'll love it."

Naoko snuck a glance at the other four for confirmation. Baron grinned a little mischievously.

"I still say we should make them sweat a little longer before getting married, Haru. Natori, at least, deserves a little grief for not stopping the queen."

She giggled.

"True. How about two more months?"

"Sounds fair to me. But if an emergency in the kingdom happens, I won't mind a change in plans."

"Wait, you mean the courtship was just an act?" Muta asked; a little outraged.

"Not exactly. I just knew that I'd agree to marry Haru after she accidentally called you 'Moo-ta' after a week of living at the castle."

The girl started cackling evilly as Toto started laughing, Muta started threatening, and the two were once more rolling on the floor, trying to knock the snot out of each other.

Baron lifted his legs as the two rolled underneath him, and grinned at the brunette again. But then his eyes shifted to her mother, and became worried. Naoko laughed good-naturedly.

"Come on; do you really think I'd protest against this marriage? I barely know my daughter, and I still know that she's a better match for you than that _Louise _girl. Her fiancé broke up with her, you know."

Baron started laughing grimly.

"As ye sow, so shall ye reap."

The only confirmation he needed for that saying was sitting across from him; her mismatched eyes filled with undying love for him. She smiled warmly, and hugged her mother's neck once more.

"I like reaping what I've sown," the crown princess said softly, a light blush present.

'_Wise people learn from experience. Super-wise people learn from others' experience. May no one __**ever **__repeat my experiences again.'_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lots of love goes to; Seto-Sesshoumaru-Lover18, asian9090, Drifting One, Lunarobi Pride, Lanari, kittydemon18, QuickStar, Bibishi Kuronecko787, Queen B of Randomness, ArtsyChick, EarthGurdian, lunerlet, and ElaiaFlameWolf for the hilarious and thoughtful reviews they posted. You guys rock!

Everyone should know the drill by now; a new story's on the way!

Small preview; _Ashamed by his monstrous niece, a duke locks the girl away in a tower. Is hiding from the world truly her destiny, or is there something more to hope for?_


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